Last October, I had the privilege of taking part in PA Consulting’s Springboard work experience programme and, within my team, we developed our own innovative solution to food waste. Inspired by NASA’s rovers, we created Defender: a high-tech machine that tested and analysed farmland to provide tailored advice to maximise crop production and minimise food waste. We were only given a week, but within that time we selected the most impactful idea, built a business case for it, and presented it to our peers.
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| No one likes wasting food yet we're all guilty of it. |
Responsible Consumption and Production – What is it?
What’s the Problem?
If we continue with our current practices, by 2050, we will
need three planets to provide enough natural resources to support a potential population of 9.6 billion. Since we don’t have time for NASA to locate and
colonise another life sustaining planet, Earth – and its resources – is all we
have.
The thing is, we already produce enough food to feed the
world’s population. The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations
states that we produce 1.5x the amount of food we need to feed every person on
the planet. It’s actually enough food to sustain a population of 10 billion people
– so why are people still hungry?
The food sector is responsible for 22% of all global greenhouse emissions and 30% of global energy consumption
The main culprit is food waste. One third of all food produced globally is wasted which equals to 1.3 billion tonnes each year. In the US, 40%of all food produced is never eaten and this can be because of poor storage and transportation, disease and pests, or people simply just throwing food away. Not only does this prevent good food going to the people who need it, food waste also has a massive environmental impact. The food sector is responsible for 22% of all global greenhouse emissions and 30% of global energy consumption. Food production also requires large amounts of land and water meaning drastic changes are needed, not just to our own personal lifestyles, but also at corporate and government levels to tackle this issue.
The Solution.
One thing that we can do as consumers is eat less. Doctors have been telling us this for years but still, 2 billion people are either obese or overweight. Sticking to recommended portion sizes will not only improve your health and wellbeing, but you’ll also reduce the amount of CO₂ entering the atmosphere. Diets high in beef, for example, have the largest carbon footprint while switching to a vegan diet could reduce emissions by up to 60% with pescatarian and vegetarian diets having a similar carbon reduction. However, these changes aren’t practical for everyone.
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| Plate sizes have changed over the years to meet our growing appetites. Try a smaller plate to cut down. |
One of the main problems is food distribution – food isn’t
getting where it’s most needed. Genetically engineering crops could ensure food
is able to last transport routes, but this is controversial and the full impact
of GM crops is yet to be seen. Several companies have created apps to allow
people to donate their unwanted food, yet these currently remain out of the
mainstream and only work best at local levels.
Like my team’s Defender, these are all great ideas and the
benefit of living in a world without waste is an exciting prospect. Whether the
UN can meet this dream by 2030 is another story. Ultimately, it’s us consumers that
hold the key to the future of food waste.
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