Food security and the role of food packaging

The interlinkages between food security, food packaging and the role that the latter plays in reducing food waste were some of the key messages delivered by FAO Brussels Director Raschad Al-Khafaji at a seminar that took place at the Finnish Mission to the EU with the title “Food security in Europe and the role of food packaging” .

“Raising the awareness of consumers is a fundamental component of sustainable food packaging. The right messaging on how to minimize food waste is of great importance, if we want to have the buy-in of consumers for these efforts,” said Al-Khafaji.

A rich panel discussion followed with speakers from the Finnish Mission, the European Parliament, the private sector, civil society and farmers’ associations. They all shared their views on the importance of food packaging for European agrifood systems; discussing related legal and environmental aspects as well as the relevance of innovation in that respect. Panellists also addressed the potential of food packaging to have a positive impact on food security and nutrition, when used as a means to increase access, affordability and availability of safe food.

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