Every year, an estimated 1.3 billion tons of food are wasted globally, with a significant portion lost during manufacturing, processing, and distribution. As food manufacturers face mounting pressure to reduce waste, adopting sustainable strategies offers a solution to this crisis, driving innovation and profitability. This article explores practical strategies for reducing waste at every production stage—from sourcing materials to leveraging cutting-edge technology.
The Causes of Waste in Food Manufacturing
Food waste can arise in many places throughout manufacturing processes. Inefficiencies in production, outdated equipment, and errors in packaging are just a few of the factors that can lead to food being discarded. Inaccurate demand forecasting can also contribute to overproduction, leaving unsold goods to waste.
Meanwhile, quality control challenges and supply chain disruptions can also add to waste issues. Products that fail to meet standards are often discarded, and delays in transportation or improper storage can cause spoilage.
A lack of awareness or inadequate employee training can also contribute to wasteful practices. Ultimately, these inefficiencies drive up costs and have broader environmental implications, contributing to the depletion of resources and increasing greenhouse gas emissions.
Sustainable Practices in Food Manufacturing
The Consumer Good Forum's (CGF) commitments recognise that tackling food waste requires a coordinated approach throughout the supply chain.
In 2016, more than 40 major global companies from the food and retail sectors, including Nestlé, Unilever, Walmart, and Tesco, signed a global commitment to halve food waste by 2030. This commitment, in line with the UN’s SDG 12.3 target of reducing food losses along production and supply chains by 2030, reflects the growing recognition that food waste is a significant issue and needs coordinated action.
The United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 12.3 is to:
- Reduce per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer level by half
- Reduce food losses along production and supply chains by 2030
In 2021, CGF members reaffirmed their commitment to food waste reduction, with more companies publicly adopting comprehensive food waste reduction targets and increasing investments in solutions like better forecasting, inventory management, and waste recovery.
Sustainable food systems aim to balance health, the environment, the economy, and community well-being while minimising waste.
By adopting these practices, food manufacturers can simultaneously reduce their carbon footprint and make significant cost savings. By addressing inefficiencies at each stage—from production and distribution to retail and consumption—businesses can reduce waste more effectively and improve overall resource management.
Holistic Approaches to Waste Reduction in Food Manufacturing
A strategy that covers all food production stages is needed to minimise food waste effectively.
By adopting eco-friendly practices such as optimising production processes, implementing energy-efficient technologies, reducing packaging waste, and recycling or repurposing by-products, businesses can conserve resources and reduce food waste.
Lifecycle Analysis for Waste Minimisation
Evaluating the entire lifecycle of the food chain can offer valuable insights into where waste can be minimised. This involves carefully examining each production stage, from sourcing raw materials to the final disposal of waste. Common sources of food waste include inaccurate forecasting, spillage, spoilage, and discrepancies in product weights.
By analysing waste at every step, businesses can pinpoint specific opportunities to cut down on waste—whether through better process management, reducing human error, or improving inventory accuracy. Ultimately, this approach streamlines production and significantly reduces food waste in production cycles.
Circular Economy Models
Circular economy principles minimise waste by encouraging the reuse and recycling of materials. A circular economy in food production seeks to eliminate waste by ensuring that by-products are reused or recycled so a more sustainable cycle is created.
These principles enable food manufacturers to reuse and recycle materials, significantly reducing waste generated during production. The by-product of anaerobic digestion is a nutrient-rich fertiliser, contributing to soil health and sustainable farming.
Leveraging Technology for Waste Reduction
Technological tools such as Waste Mission’s customer portal can enable the automation of food waste monitoring, allowing businesses to track waste levels and enhance operational performance efficiently. Such technologies are vital in reducing food waste by providing innovative solutions that improve efficiency throughout the food supply chain.
Advanced waste management techniques can also significantly boost the efficiency of food manufacturing processes. By adopting new technology or equipment, businesses can increase resource utilisation, such as extracting more usable protein from meat carcasses, thereby reducing waste.
Real-Time Data Monitoring Systems
Real-time data monitoring systems assist suppliers in predicting the shelf life of produce and reducing waste. Automating the recording of food waste with these systems can minimise manual logging errors and save staff time. Such systems enable companies to identify waste patterns and inefficiencies, enabling data-driven decision-making.
Food waste tracking solutions can be integrated with existing systems, providing comprehensive monitoring from storage to plate waste.
Industry-Wide Waste Reduction Programmes
Programmes like the Courtauld Commitment 2030 aim for significant reductions in food waste across the industry. Participation in the Roadmap helped 130 businesses achieve an 18% reduction in food waste, showcasing the effectiveness of collaborative initiatives.
Innovative Waste Management Techniques
There are many innovative waste management techniques that can be of great benefit to food manufacturers. Two of the most prominent are anaerobic digestion and composting.
Anaerobic Digestion for Energy Generation
Anaerobic digestion is a process that converts food waste into biogas, which can be utilised as renewable energy, significantly reducing the amount of waste sent to landfills. This process transforms wet organic waste into biogas, primarily consisting of methane, which can be used for heating or electricity generation.
Anaerobic digestion converts food waste into biogas, which can be used as a renewable energy source. This method helps in minimising landfill contributions and promotes sustainable energy production.
Composting Food Waste
Composting food scraps transforms organic waste into nutrient-rich soil amendments, promoting sustainable agricultural practices. This process reduces landfill pressure and produces valuable organic matter that enriches soil and supports sustainable farming.
Composting turns food waste into nutrient-rich organic fertiliser that enhances soil health and supports sustainable farming. This method is particularly effective in managing food waste and promoting environmental sustainability.
Inspired Pet Nutrition – a case study
Waste Mission worked with Inspired Pet Nutrition (IPN) in 2024 to successfully divert 100% of food waste from landfill – not only bringing an innovative solution to their waste but also profitable.
IPN faced various waste management challenges, including:
- Meat and fish juice on packaging: These materials were hard to handle.
- Raw Meat Waste: Inefficient and environmentally unfriendly disposal methods require a modern solution.
- General Waste Management: Disruptions caused by waste accumulation necessitate an intuitive waste management approach.
Waste Mission implemented a tailored waste management solution for IPN, including:
- Recycling meat and fish juice – impacted packaging: Specialised processes were introduced to recycle these materials, diverting them from landfills.
- Recycling Raw Meat Waste: Innovative recycling methods ensured 100% recycling of raw meat waste.
- 24-Hour Service Level Agreement (SLA): A 24-hour SLA was established to ensure efficient waste collection and management, prevent operational disruptions, and simplify daily communications.
The collaboration yielded outstanding results:
- 100% Landfill Diversion: All waste, including complex materials, is now diverted from landfills.
- 100% Recycling Rate: All waste collected from IPN is recycled, aligning with their sustainability goals.
- Uninterrupted Operations: The 24-hour SLA has ensured zero disruptions in IPN’s operations due to waste management issues.
Financial and Environmental Benefits of Waste Reduction
Food loss and waste contribute to about 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions, highlighting the importance of addressing this issue for climate change mitigation. Effective composting helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions by diverting food waste from landfills, where it would otherwise decompose anaerobically.
Cost Savings and ROI
Reducing food waste leads to immediate cost savings by lowering the expenditure on ingredients and waste disposal.
Investing in food waste reduction methods can yield an average return on investment that far exceeds the costs of implementing these strategies. The median food production site realised a 30% return on investment, or a 14-fold financial return, after investing in food loss reduction.
Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Food waste is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, ranking as the third largest emitter globally. By addressing global food waste, sectors can significantly lower their greenhouse gas emissions, thus playing a crucial role in combating climate change.
Reducing food waste significantly decreases greenhouse gas emissions, particularly methane from decomposing waste. The carbon footprint of wasted food products is 3.3 Tonnes of carbon dioxide, emphasising the environmental urgency of waste reduction.
Summary
From improving production processes to using tech like real-time data and waste tracking systems, manufacturers can reduce waste at every stage. Practical strategies for cutting food waste in manufacturing, can lead to huge environmental and financial benefits.
Innovative solutions like anaerobic digestion, composting, and industry collaborations are driving real change, as has been demonstrated in Waste Mission’s work with Inspired Pet Nutrition. By embracing these strategies, food manufacturers can save costs, boost efficiency, and lower their carbon footprint.
Waste Mission provides effective solutions that focus on reducing environmental impact. Book a waste review today to find out how the team can help your business reduce waste.
By implementing advanced waste tracking and sustainable techniques, manufacturers can decrease their carbon footprint and enhance resource efficiency, building a future a few shades greener.
