Prevent 300,000 tons of food waste
For the first time in Switzerland, food waste is being systematically determined. All food losses from production and processing to disposal are examined. Following studies on food waste in the catering sector and among large-scale distributors, the latest FOEN study now sheds light on losses in the food industry. In this sector, over 300,000 tons of food waste could be prevented.
According to estimates by the Food and Agriculture Organization FAO, around one third of the food produced worldwide is lost. The same amount is assumed for Switzerland, which corresponds to about 300 kg per capita and year. Food waste is defined as food that has been produced for human consumption and is lost or thrown away on its way from the field to the plate.
The Federal Office for the Environment FOEN, in cooperation with the industries, has been calculating food waste figures for four years, pursuing three goals:
- Food losses in Switzerland are to be quantified; broken down into the individual areas of food production.
- The figures are intended to provide information on whether these losses are avoidable or not. Avoidable losses are food scraps that would be edible at the time of disposal and if used in a timely manner. Examples include plate scraps, produce not accepted by the marketplace such as stained apples, or byproducts such as buttermilk. Unavoidable food waste includes inedible parts, such as peels and bones, or arises during food preparation (grub waste).
- Finally, they want to have detailed information on which industries are incurring the losses.
Reasons for the losses in the food industry
The Swiss food industry produces 2.3 million tons of food and semi-finished products per year. This is what the FOEN found in its latest study "Organic losses from the food industry in Switzerland". was determined. Across all eight main sectors (e.g. grain processing, cocoa and coffee or dairy products), losses amount to around 500,000 metric tons. 125,000 tons of these losses, a good quarter, are inedible components such as bones or peeling waste.
Three quarters of the losses concern edible ingredients. The amount is 375,000 tons or 14% of total food production. Two main causes dominate:
- The lack of an outlet for by-products such as whey or bran (20%).
- The state of the art (20%): this food waste is edible but not preventable according to the current state of the art.
Causes for these losses are inaccurate planning or technically related declassified products such as damaged chocolate bars. It can therefore be seen that there is great potential in technology to prevent food waste.
The main share (75%) of organic losses from the food industry is fed to animals and thus remains in the food production cycle. Around 20% is recovered to biogas or recycled as compost. Only a small proportion is incinerated in waste-to-energy plants. Goods given away account for a marginal share of less than 1%.
The FOEN makes this study available to the food industry, shows the savings potential for the industries concerned and also supports the industries in implementing measures to prevent food waste.
Source: FOEN
