As individuals we probably all know the guilty feeling when we – involuntarily – throw away food at home because it has gone mouldy or we simply cooked too much. But wasting food is actually more than an unpleasant activity – it’s a global challenge with far-reaching impacts on the planet. Keep reading to learn more and watch our video to get hands-on tips and tricks on how to reduce food waste at home.
As a manufacturer of plant-based functional ingredients, BENEO is part of the global food system. It is certainly no secret that enormous amounts of resources – land, water, energy, and labour – are used to produce food. But when food is lost or wasted, these resources go to waste, impacting the efficiency of food production. Minimizing food loss and waste is crucial for mitigating climate change, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and enhancing food security.
Food loss vs. waste – what’s the difference?
When referring to the general issue, the expression used most frequently is “food loss and waste”. But is there a difference between the two terms?
Food loss “refers to the decrease in edible food mass at the production, post-harvest and processing stages of the food chain.” (FAO. Sustainability Pathways)
Food waste “refers to intentional discards of food fit for consumption, from retail to households, due to the behaviour of organizations and/or individuals.” (FAO. 2021. Your guide to living free of food waste. Budapest).
In summary, food loss takes place at the earlier stages of the food supply chain. Food waste, on the other hand, happens at the end of the chain – for example, at home in an individual context. By the way: According to a study from 2020 (Chen et al.), the food groups contributing the most to the total weight of food waste globally are vegetables (25%), cereals (24%), and fruits (12%).
How big is the issue? The alarming global impact of food loss and waste
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), approximately one-third of the food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted between processing, storage, transportation, distribution and consumption. In fact, in 2022, an estimated 1.05 billion tonnes of food was wasted globally in the retail, food service and household sectors combined. This equals 132 kilograms per capita per year, of which 79 kilograms per capita was wasted in households (UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024). These figures highlight that both the industry and individuals have a major role to play in solving the issue.
What’s even more striking: If food loss and waste were a country, it would be the third largest source of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide! (FAO. 2013. Food wastage footprint). That’s a staggering thought. It doesn’t end with emissions though. Enormous amounts of water and agricultural land are used up to produce food that’s never eaten.
The FAO highlights that addressing food loss and waste throughout the supply chain – from production to consumption – improves the overall efficiency of the food system. This helps ensure that more food reaches those in need. At the same time, investing in the circular economy helps reduce food loss and waste. This also contributes to lowering greenhouse gas emissions.
Addressing the issue with our sustainability efforts at BENEO
At BENEO, we are well aware of our role in reducing food loss and waste across the food chain. This responsibility comes from processing agricultural raw materials into high-quality ingredients for the food, feed and pharmaceutical industries. Not surprisingly, this was confirmed by our materiality analysis in 2022/23. It identified the most relevant environmental and social issues for our business and stakeholders. This is why decreasing waste while increasing circularity is one of the impact areas within our Healthy Planet Plan, BENEO’s sustainability strategy. The impact area forms part of our strategy pillar “mitigate our impacts on the planet” which aims to make our operations more sustainable. BENEO has set the ambitious target to fully eliminate food waste in our operations by 2030.
Circularity and food waste reduction in practice
To help achieve this, we have developed a Food Loss and Waste Guideline that we will implement across all BENEO locations. We aim to evaluate and analyze our production processes and the whole supply chain to identify strategies for reducing food loss and waste at their origins. This also includes looking into how the crops are harvested and finding ways to reduce food loss on field level. A key element to increase circularity in our production processes is to strive for the full valorization of the raw materials we use – be it sugar beet, wheat, faba beans, chicory root or rice. For instance, in our brand-new pulse-processing site in Obrigheim, Germany, we produce faba bean protein concentrate and starch-rich flour. At the same time, we ensure that the hulls are used as a source of fibre in animal feed. Similarly, BeneoCarb S is a syrup co-product generated during the manufacturing of BENEO’s smart carbohydrates, including Palatinose™ (isomaltulose) for human nutrition. Instead of being discarded, it serves as a valuable ingredient for animal nutrition.
With BENEO’s Healthy Planet Plan we also contribute to our mother company Südzucker Group’s Sustainability Strategy “Growing in Balance”.
What we can all do as individuals
Moving to the end of the food chain, let’s take a look at what we can do in our individual households. Reducing your food waste at home requires an understanding of how much you actually waste – and why. A great way to get started is keeping a food waste diary for a week – keeping track of the food that lands in the bin in your household enables you to learn from it.
- Identify the pattern: Review your diary to see what, when and where you wasted food at home.
- Recognize the reasons: Once you know why you throw away food – e.g., because you buy too much or the portions you cook are too big – you can find ways to avoid this in the future.
- Draw conclusions: What actions can you take to reduce food waste in your household?
There is a wide array of measures you can take to avoid food waste. We have summarized several tips for you in this video.
How digital tools can help us reduce food waste
In today’s digital age, there are apps and online services for many aspects of life. This also includes the fight against food waste. Next to changing our habits, we can therefore also revert to a wide range of digital tools available across the globe to help us reduce food waste. We have collected some examples below for you but also recommend doing your own research for where you live.
- Apps that allow to buy surplus food products from restaurants or shops, often at a discounted price: Too good to go, Phenix, encantado de comerte, Foodello, Sirplus, treatsure, Just Dabao, Flashfood, Misfits Market, Cheaf, Food to Save, Good Meal
- Apps that inspire with recipe ideas for leftover food you have at home: SuperCook, Zu Gut für die Tonne
With this toolbox of knowledge and possible measures at hand, we invite you to reflect your own behavior and to strive to make a difference in your own household. Let’s take on this challenge and join our efforts to reduce food waste for a healthier planet. At BENEO, we will definitely continue to do our part.
Learn more about BENEO’s sustainability strategy, our Healthy Planet Plan here.
Sources:
- FAO. 2021. Your guide to living free of food waste. Budapest.
- FAO Sustainability Pathways.
- Canxi Chen, Abhishek Chaudhary, Alexander Mathys (2020). Nutritional and environmental losses embedded in global food waste. In: Resources, Conservation and Recycling, Volume 160
- FAO – The paradox of hunger and food loss and waste
- FAO. 2013. Food wastage footprint: Impacts on natural resources. Summary report.
- United Nations Environment Programme (2024). Food Waste Index Report 2024. Nairobi.