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As we sit around our dinner tables enjoying a hearty meal, it's easy to overlook the staggering problem that our world faces - food waste.
This is not just about the food that ends up in the bin. It's about the water, energy, and resources wasted to produce, package, and transport this food, contributing to carbon emissions and accelerating climate change.
However, the silver lining to this cloud is that we have the power to change this scenario. With innovative approaches, new technologies, and collaborative efforts across sectors, we can significantly reduce food waste and pave the way for a sustainable future.
The Magnitude of Food Waste
When it comes to food waste, the statistics paint a pretty grim picture. We've managed to perfect the art of growing enough food, only to squander about 30% of it every year.
Our agriculture system, you'd be surprised (or not!), contributes to a whopping 33% of the total food wastage volume. Think about it, a third of all food produced, primed for our consumption, is lost or wasted. That's roughly 1.3 billion tons of food per year.
The Environmental Fallout
Now, for the eco-warriors among us, these numbers hit even harder. As per research from Our World In Data, food waste is responsible for about 6% of the world’s total emissions. Yes, you read that right. We're emitting planet-heating gases, just for the privilege of not eating a third of our food.
The Great Disappearance
Each year, 14% of the world's food, valued at a cool $400 billion, disappears between harvest and the retail market. At the same time, 17% of food is left rotting on retail shelves and in our refrigerators.
The Hidden Cost of Food Waste
And if that doesn't get you worked up, how about the whopping $900 billion that we lose annually due to malnutrition and food insecurity, thanks to food waste? That's a price tag hefty enough to give even the most spendthrift among us a touch of frugality.
So, the bad news is that we've created a monstrosity of a problem. The good news? Well, it's an entirely man-made problem, which means we're fully capable of solving it.
Use Of Innovation and Technology
Our modern-day dilemma of colossal food waste necessitates not just changes in habits, but a total tech makeover of our food supply chain. As it turns out, AI might just be the superhero cape our supply chains need to battle the villain that is food waste.
Tried and Tested
Traditionally, efforts to minimise food waste and optimise resources have centered around enhancing production and supply chain management. Techniques like the "Just in time" inventory systems, which ensure goods are delivered only when necessary, have been our allies in this fight. Moreover, the "first-in, first-out" (FIFO) strategies have helped us prioritise older products, keeping spoilage at bay.
Yet, traditional methods aren't foolproof. While these strategies might seem effective in theory, the real-world application, especially with perishable goods, often exposes their limitations.
Furthermore, these traditional methods lack the agility to offer instantaneous solutions such as demand prediction, pattern identification, and swift action - all key components for effective food waste management.
AI in Action
Here's how AI flexes its muscles in the war against food waste:
Using Machine Learning (ML) algorithms, AI can predict the demand for food products, thereby ensuring the right quantity is produced and delivered to the right place at the right time. Retail companies, for instance, can train ML models using historical sales data and weather forecasts to accurately predict the demand for specific products, optimising inventory management and cutting down on waste.
AI applications such as computer vision techniques can sort and grade food products. For example, these techniques can automatically sort and grade fruits and vegetables based on size, shape, and color, ensuring only the highest quality products reach consumers, thereby reducing waste.
Food Companies Leading the Charge
With AI at their side, some food companies have become knights in shining armour, implementing waste reduction strategies with commendable success.
Winnow
Winnow, another technology-savvy company, has introduced a smart metre that's nothing short of a miracle worker for commercial kitchens. Installed in these kitchens, the meter tracks food waste and then uses AI to dissect this data, offering insights on how to cut down waste.
Adjusting portion sizes and changing menu items are some of the suggestions that have helped hotels and restaurants worldwide reduce food waste significantly. A case that stands out is that of Fairmont The Palm, which, with some help from Winnow, managed to reduce food waste by 61% - a move that is saving them around $140,000 per year!
Nonprofit Ninjas: Driving Change Through Innovation
Nonprofit organisations have also been trailblazers in the war against food waste.
ReFED
A standout initiative is ReFED's Roadmap to Reduce U.S. Food Waste by 20%, launched in 2016. This ground-breaking study brought together a multi-stakeholder group to chart out a concrete action plan. Five years later, ReFED now offers a first-of-its-kind online hub, the Insights Engine. The hub provides updated data and innovative solutions to businesses, government agencies, and nonprofits to help them reduce food waste.
ReFED's estimation is nothing short of a jaw-dropper: an annual investment of $14 billion over the next ten years could reduce food waste by a staggering 45 million tons annually. The spin-off benefits? Massive savings, reduced emissions, saved water, billions of rescued meals, thousands of jobs created, and the achievement of the 2030 reduction goal.
Government Grit
Last but not least, governments worldwide are also rolling up their sleeves to tackle food waste. Strategies include increasing consumer education and outreach, enhancing coordination on food loss and waste measurement, and improving information on food safety, date labels, and donations. The most significant move, however, has been collaborating with the private sector to reduce food waste across the supply chain.
Summing up
The path to a sustainable future is no easy journey, but as we have seen, it's not an impossible one. By harnessing innovative strategies, and leveraging AI and technology, we can effectively reduce food waste, address food insecurity, and contribute to environmental preservation. But remember, the real change begins at home, with every consumer, every meal, and every single decision to save rather than waste.
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