Food waste - The situation

If global food waste were a country, the emissions associated with it would rival those of the entire European Union.

Although there are no precise estimates, approximately a third of global food production is thought to be wasted and within the US it is predicted to be even higher at half of all food being discarded. This makes food waste the largest component of US landfills (21%). The top three groups of wasted foods are meat, poultry, and fish (41%), vegetables (17%), and dairy products (14%).

In 2015, a US national goal was put in place to reduce food waste by 50% by 2030, which encompasses action from the agricultural sector, government bodies, the hospitality sector, food suppliers and grocery retailers. It is crucial that work towards this goal is measured and reported in a standardized way. Towards this end, Anthesis has extensive knowledge of conducting food waste audits and helping food businesses to measure and report on food waste. We have also contributed our expertise to help the World Resources Institute to develop the first global ‘Food Loss and Waste Accounting and Reporting Standard’, launched in 2016.

Anthesis provides practical help to those looking to establish the business case for food waste reduction by evaluating the true cost of waste, drawing up action plans to tackle waste, creating a legacy and driving long term change. We can partner with you for every step of your food waste journey, providing you with the independent view required to analyze your product level data from the ground up.

Our step by step guide for addressing food waste

Our guide breaks down the process in six steps from working out your basic annual tonnage and waste flows per site to disseminating the progress and best practice across your organization.