登录查看更多内容

How can the food industry address food waste and insecurity?

由人工智能和领英社区提供技术支持

Food waste and insecurity are two major challenges facing the food industry and society at large. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, about one-third of the food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted every year, while about 690 million people suffer from chronic hunger. How can the food industry address these issues and contribute to a more sustainable and equitable food system? In this article, we will explore some of the strategies and practices that can help the food industry reduce food waste, improve food security, and enhance its corporate social responsibility (CSR).

此文章中的业界达人

由社区从 3 条内容中精选。了解更多

1 Why CSR matters

CSR is the voluntary commitment of businesses to act ethically and responsibly towards their stakeholders, the environment, and society. CSR can benefit the food industry in many ways, such as improving its reputation, customer loyalty, employee engagement, innovation, and risk management. Moreover, CSR can help the food industry align with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which include ending hunger, ensuring healthy lives, and promoting responsible consumption and production.

添加您的观点

2 How to reduce food waste

Reducing food waste is essential for businesses not only from a moral standpoint, but also in terms of economic losses, environmental impacts, and social inequalities. To prevent, reduce, and recover food waste along the supply chain, the food industry can implement efficient inventory management and distribution systems, educate consumers and employees on proper food handling and disposal, donate surplus food to charities and food banks, compost organic waste or convert it into biogas or animal feed, and collaborate with other stakeholders to develop standards, policies, and initiatives to tackle food waste.

添加您的观点

Eva Szalkai Csaky

CEO @ Global Inclusive Economy Society | Leveraging technology, finance and policy for a climate-smart inclusive economy.
举报内容
The most effective mechanism of action will depend on the company's proximity to food waste generation. Food companies involved in production and processing have various proven ways to reduce food waste, including via donating safe, fresh food items that do not meet retailer standards, composting or generating biogas from others, just to mention a few. Other companies also have tested ways to reduce food waste within their own organization, and they can look at best practices like that of Toyota North America for best practices. A company that is directly sourcing food products, especially at scale, can make waste minimization a criteria when selecting suppliers, creating a powerful waste reduction incentive in its supply chain.

已翻译

赞

3 How to improve food security

Enhancing food security requires that everyone has access to sufficient, safe, nutritious, and affordable food at all times. The food industry can be instrumental in achieving this goal by investing in sustainable and resilient agricultural practices and technologies, supporting smallholder farmers and local communities through fair trade and inclusive business models, promoting dietary diversity and nutrition education, developing products that meet the needs of different segments of the population, particularly the vulnerable and marginalized, and advocating for food justice and human rights in the food system.

添加您的观点

4 How to measure and report CSR performance

Measuring and reporting CSR performance is essential for the food industry to demonstrate its accountability, transparency, and impact. To assess and communicate its CSR performance, the food industry can utilize a variety of tools and frameworks such as the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), the Food Loss and Waste Accounting and Reporting Standard (FLW Standard), the Food Security and Nutrition (FSN) Index, and the B Impact Assessment (BIA). The GRI provides guidelines and indicators for sustainability reporting, while the FLW Standard helps quantify and report food loss and waste. The FSN Index measures the state of food security and nutrition across countries, whereas the BIA evaluates the social and environmental performance of businesses.

添加您的观点

5 How to engage stakeholders in CSR

Engaging stakeholders in CSR is essential for the food industry to build trust, legitimacy, and collaboration. Stakeholders are any individuals or groups that are affected by or have an effect on the food industry's activities, such as customers, employees, suppliers, investors, regulators, NGOs, and media. To successfully engage stakeholders in CSR, the food industry should identify and prioritize the most relevant and influential stakeholders, establish clear and consistent communication channels and feedback mechanisms to solicit stakeholder input and feedback into CSR decision-making and implementation. Additionally, it is important to recognize and reward stakeholder contributions and achievements as well as create and participate in multi-stakeholder platforms and partnerships to address common challenges and opportunities.

添加您的观点

6 How to prepare for the future of CSR

The future of CSR is likely to be heavily influenced by various trends and scenarios that will have an impact on the food industry and society, such as the rise of digitalization, automation, and artificial intelligence, the emergence of new consumer demands and expectations, the increasing pressure from climate change, resource scarcity, and biodiversity loss, the growing influence of social movements and activism, and the evolution of CSR standards and regulations. To prepare for this future, the food industry should monitor and anticipate these trends and scenarios; develop and test strategies to adapt; foster a culture of learning, innovation, and agility; leverage the power of technology, data, and analytics; and embrace a vision of a more sustainable and equitable food system for all.

添加您的观点

Eva Szalkai Csaky

CEO @ Global Inclusive Economy Society | Leveraging technology, finance and policy for a climate-smart inclusive economy.
举报内容
Emerging technology based solutions are increasingly available to track the origin of food items and document the activities associated with their value chains. Companies as part of their CSR can take advantage of technology based solutions to map their entire value chains and identify the environmental/climate and social impacts and risks and tackle them proactively. Some regulators already require companies to do so, which can lead to various unfavorable unintended consequences both for the company as well as its suppliers. Proactively identifying and addressing the risks is probably the most impactful CSR effort that companies can undertake while also creating long term reputation and operational benefits for the company.

已翻译

赞

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

添加您的观点

Cmdr (Dr.?) Reji Kurien Thomas , FRSA, MLE?

I Empower Sectors as a Global Tech & Business Transformation Quantum Leader| Stephen Hawking Award 2024| Harvard Leader | UK House of Lord's Awardee | Fellow Royal Society | CyberSec | CCISO CISM CCNP-S CEH
举报内容
Advocating for policies that support the reduction of food waste and enhance food security. My involvement in policy advocacy has focused on creating incentives for businesses to donate surplus food and implement more sustainable practices. Developing better storage and transportation infrastructure in areas where food insecurity is prevalent. I've been part of efforts to build cold storage facilities in rural areas, significantly reducing post-harvest losses. Encouraging sustainable agricultural practices that replenish the soil and yield high-nutrient crops. My work in promoting plant-based diets has not only addressed food insecurity but also reduced the environmental impact of food production.

已翻译

赞

Corporate Social Responsibility

+ 关注

给文章评分

我们借助人工智能创建了此文章。您认为这篇文章怎么样？

很棒不太好

举报此文章

查看全部

How can the food industry address food waste and insecurity?

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

1 Why CSR matters

2 How to reduce food waste

3 How to improve food security

4 How to measure and report CSR performance

5 How to engage stakeholders in CSR

6 How to prepare for the future of CSR

7 Here’s what else to consider

Corporate Social Responsibility

给文章评分

感谢您的反馈

更多Corporate Social Responsibility相关文章

更多相关阅读内容

How can the food industry address food waste and insecurity?

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

1 Why CSR matters

2 How to reduce food waste

3 How to improve food security

4 How to measure and report CSR performance

5 How to engage stakeholders in CSR

6 How to prepare for the future of CSR

7 Here’s what else to consider

Corporate Social Responsibility

给文章评分

感谢您的反馈

查看其他技能