Olio • Share More, Waste Less’ Post

Last Tuesday, #FarmtoForkSummit took place at 10 Downing Street, addressing the important issue of #foodsecurity in the #UK. Neighbourly and our colleagues across the redistribution sector were really pleased to see the government putting this issue at the top of the agenda. It makes sense - after all, extreme weather events are becoming more and more common due to #climatechange, leading to shortages and hits to crop productivity. Plus, in the UK, we’ve got a growing population, and we import 46% of our food. At last week's Redistribution Forum, co-ordinated by WRAP, we agreed that we feel hugely optimistic about the role maximising food redistribution can play in guaranteeing food security for the UK. We’re united by the belief that no food fit for human consumption should go to waste. Whether that’s through discounting, donating to charity, or sharing via community models, all edible surplus should feed humans (not anaerobic digestion or landfill). It won’t be possible to achieve food security if we don't urgently address the fact that only 7% of the UK’s food surplus is redistributed. If we fix that, we can put a stop to good food needlessly going to waste across the UK’s value chain, from farm to fork. We’d love to join the government at their next session to share our thoughts on how our sector can help. Redistribution Forum attendees: Neighbourly, Steve Butterworth Olio • Share More, Waste Less, Saasha Celestial-One FareShare UK, George Wright Company Shop Group, Owen McLellan The Bread and Butter Thing, Mark Game City Harvest, Sarah Calcutt His Church Charity, Richard Humphrey Surplus Group, Jonathan Straight FRSA The Felix Project, Richard Smith Plan Zheroes - The Zero Food Waste Heroes, Agnese Giardini WRAP, Will Nicholson, Sue Riley & Aisha Kayani FYI Rishi Sunak Steve Barclay Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs The Grocer Adam Leyland Kevin White Farmers Guide NFU (National Farmers' Union) Food Manufacture Jack Simpson Helena Horton Tessa Clarke

Did you know…that the food industry discards 6.2 million tonnes of food every year in the UK? That’s the equivalent weight of 17 Empire State Buildings!! No food should end up in landfill, especially food that is good enough to eat - which is why we're really glad to see so many supermarkets, restaurants/cafes and organisations committed to reducing food waste. Whilst this is still an ongoing problem, we wanted to highlight a few of the great initiatives currently being implemented in the food industry: Supermarkets: ✅ Removing best before dates on many fresh fruit and veg products ✅ Offering ‘wonky’ fruit and veg Restaurants/cafes: ✅ Offering surplus food for a fraction of the price on apps like Too Good to Go Organisations: ✅ Redistribution charities like FareShare who take edible surplus food from retailers, manufacturers, farmers and growers and redistribute to those that are in vulnerable circumstances Reducing food waste should be on everyone’s minds, so if you’re a food business with no plan in place to do this, why not implement similar initiatives or come up with your own? Small collective changes can have a huge impact! Are there any other great initiatives to add? ⬇️ #stopfoodwasteday Stop Food Waste Day

🚚❄️ Tackling food waste and supporting communities in need – an inspiring initiative! The UK government’s announcement of £15 million to help charities distribute surplus produce to those who need it most is a crucial step in addressing inefficiencies in the food supply chain and alleviating food insecurity. At CoolRun, we see opportunities like this as a chance to reflect on the role temperature-controlled logistics can play in maximizing the impact of surplus food redistribution. Whether it's reducing spoilage or ensuring the safe transport of perishable items to food banks and community kitchens, efficient and sustainable cold chain solutions are key. In a world where one-third of all food is wasted while millions go hungry, partnerships between innovative logistics providers, government, and charities can make a profound difference. We’re committed to continuing conversations about how zero-emission cold chain technology can further the mission of sustainability and social impact. Read full article here: https://lnkd.in/eGvhSHwy #CoolRun #ThoughtLeadership #SustainableLogistics #FoodWaste #ColdChain #SocialImpact

Last week, the Prime Minister's Chief Science Advisor, Dame Juliet Gerrard, and her team at the OPMCSA launched the final reports and recommendations on food loss and waste. Read the summary here ➡️ https://bit.ly/4f1Cm11 This research from Dr Gerrard and team at the Office of the PMCSA, was ambitious in it's broad scope and level of detail looking at all aspects of food loss, food rescue and food waste in Aotearoa. The multi-phased research project kicked off a couple of years ago, including visiting Kaibosh as part of their deep dive to understand more about food rescue. New Zealand Food Waste Champions 12.3 Charitable Trust (NZFWC 12.3 Trust) are leading the way with businesses through their Kai Commitment Programme. Kaibosh was also pleased to hear that the Honourable Penny Simmonds, Minister for the Environment, confirmed the government's commitment to ensuring that good food gets to people and that the environmental, social, and economic benefits of reducing food waste are a quick win on the government's agenda. In summary, Aotearoa needs to do these five things to reach #ZeroFoodWaste: 1⃣ Save good food for people 2⃣ Prevent food waste at its source 3⃣ Measure and monitor our food loss and waste 4⃣ All food waste to be diverted – with no place left for landfill 5⃣ Establish a national food loss and waste strategy and reduction target #FoodSystem #FoodWaste #FoodRescue #FoodResilience

California's new SB 1383 is reshaping how we handle food waste by requiring businesses to donate surplus food instead of discarding it. It’s an exciting step forward, but the real challenge is creating widespread awareness, education and driving action toward source reduction. Thank you for the feature Modern Farmer! Learn more from our COO Katlyn Marchini in this article. 🙌 🍋 #SB1383 #FoodRecovery #ZeroWaste #Sustainability #CircularEconomy #ClimateAction

"System problems need system solutions, from farm to fork" 👩🌾🍽 Here's a great summary from Kaitlin Dawson on the recent food waste report released last week. Watch on the link below 👇

As we mark #WorldFoodDay, which aims to raise awareness of hunger and promote action for the future of food, people and the planet, we’re very proud to announce another major milestone of more than 315 million meals redistributed around the globe since we started in 2013. This is the equivalent of more than 132,300 tonnes of surplus food being provided for more than 7,000 charities, community groups and food banks globally, preventing approximately 400,000 tonnes of CO2-equivalent from going to waste. As Iseult Ward, our CEO and co-founder, says in the article below: “We are incredibly proud of the positive social and environmental impact that we’ve made so far for communities in Europe, the UK, Africa and Asia. For the international community, the responsibility of reducing food waste is at a critical juncture, as we grapple with the dual challenges of climate breakdown and global hunger. As was recently stated by the United Nations FAO, over a quarter of the world’s agricultural area is being used to produce food that is lost or wasted. The FAO has also made it clear that as we approach the mid-way point of the decade, the world is far off track from achieving its Sustainable Development Goal of halving food waste by 2030 – with accelerated progress urgently required. As we at FoodCloud expand our reach, our unique understanding of both surplus food donors and beneficiary groups allows us to support food businesses to redistribute surplus food efficiently and effectively.”     You can read more here:  https://lnkd.in/ebEFadb8

Did you know that globally, an estimated 40% of food does not make it from the paddock and packhouse to the plate? Food waste is responsible for 6-8% of global carbon emissions. At the same time, even though Aotearoa produces enough calories to feed 20 million people, one in five tamariki live in households that experience moderate to severe food insecurity.   Join WasteMINZ and New Zealand Food Waste Champions 12.3 Charitable Trust (NZFWC 12.3 Trust) for the the 3rd Te Hui Taumata Moumou Kai o Aotearoa – New Zealand Food Waste Summit, being hosted online.   The summit is open to anyone who is interested in reducing food waste or is part of the food value chain – growers, manufacturers, distributors, retailers, hospitality industry, food rescuers, researchers and anywhere in between! We'll be exploring the collaboration required to support Aotearoa’s moves to reduce our food waste and delving into the data behind the Prime Minister’s Chief Science Advisor’s latest food waste report. Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/g__udfWp

"The Global Food Donation Policy Atlas, known simply as The Atlas, claims to offer the most comprehensive examination of food loss and waste (FLW) and food donation policies in countries around the world, having worked directly in over 25 countries. Created by Harvard Law School’s Food Law and Policy Clinic (FLPC) and The Global FoodBanking Network (GFN), it aims to find solutions to global FLW and food insecurity through a circular economy approach." The Atlas featured on the Food Planet Prize website! Read: https://lnkd.in/erMw-27w The Global FoodBanking Network

𝟳% 𝗼𝗳 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗞 𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗮 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲 - 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 £𝟭 𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝗳 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗴𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲. While the 'farm-to-table' concept may appear straightforward, like many worthwhile endeavours, it demands meticulous planning and innovative systems. At Seymour, we are committed to minimising food waste, ensuring that every morsel reaches your plate or is used elsewhere in our production. Our chefs devote special attention to crafting our seasonal menus, reimagining any surplus into something new and delicious. Like turning leftover kale and greens into a hero ingredient in our vegetable bhaji dish. Achieving this vision requires collaboration. That's why we proudly partner with passionate teams like Waste Knot in the UK. Waste Knot tackles food waste at its root (pun intended), sourcing surplus vegetables from farms and delivering them to chefs' kitchens (like ours), after which, any remaining surplus is distributed to charities combating food poverty. Read more about our sustainability practices here: https://lnkd.in/dh5Qe3zs #earthday #sustainablepractices #farmtotable #sustainablefarming