Private Sector intiatives to address food waste : At Nestlé we have estimated our own losses along our entire value chain at 12%.This includes the losses upstream of the raw materials that we buy, and the losses in manufacturing, distribution and at the consumption stage. For example reducing milk losses .We are measuring the milk loss from farm to factory gate in 30 countries in our dairy supply chain. We have already implemented actions to reduce losses, including improved collection systems. As a result, milk losses from farm to factory in 2018 were measured at just 0.3% of production.
Examples of policies, interventions, initiatives, alliances and institutional arrangements which should be considered as best practices in FLW prevention, reduction, food recovery, repurposing and recycling :
Partnering to reduce waste :Nestlé Nordic has joined the Denmark Against Food Waste initiative, which brings together manufacturers and retailers to reduce waste in Denmark by 50% by 2030. The first step has seen participants commit to measuring and publishing progress on food waste annually.
In Latin America and the Caribbean we also partnered with the Inter-American Development Bank and supported by other major food and technology companies ,to support its #SinDesperdicio (‘without waste’) initiative where we used food date labels to help prevent food being discarded when it is still good to eat. Taking a holistic approach, it aims to fight back against the 127 million tons of food lost and wastedevery year in Latin America and the Caribbean.
In 2018, Nestlé UK and Ireland worked with other members of the IGD and WRAP Food Waste Measurement Task and Finish Group to develop guidance on measuring and reporting food loss and waste.Nestlé UK and Irelandalso launched an initiative that aimsto redistribute meals across the UK. Delivered in partnership with Company Shop and WRAP, the Waste Not, Want Not methodology will assess the main causes of food waste within food operations and reduce them at source where possible. By 2019, any surplus food should be redistributed to commercial and charitable organizations rather than being used for animal feed or anaerobic digestion, and the project aims to redistribute 2 million extra meals. The approach has already been tested at several Nestlé factories.
We are also measuring the environmental and nutritional impact of food loss and waste, key measurements that are too often overlooked.
Reporting food loss and waste: Since 2016, we have been reporting the food loss and waste generated in our factories according to the World Resources Institute’s Food Loss and Waste Protocol.
Sra. Susan Kevork