Photos, graphics and videos educate visitors about global food waste in an engaging way. In the best-practice area, businesses and organizations present innovative approaches to solving the problems of food loss.
“It is unacceptable that 1.3 billion tons of food is wasted each year from ‘farm to fork’ and Save Food exists to address this problem,” said David Seckman FPSA president and CEO. “Save Food is an established platform that will make a difference in feeding the world and foster positive public perceptions of the food industry. As an association, FPSA is behind the initiative 100 percent as many of our members are already sponsors and more will be joining this critical effort.”
The Save Food initiative is a joint campaign instituted by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and Messe Düsseldorf GmbH to fight global food loss. FPSA became the first US-based sponsor at Process Expo 2011. In early 2013, the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) joined the initiative.
“The food industry’s involvement in packaging and the related processes can contribute substantially to reduce food losses as well as food waste,” said Bernd Jablonowski, director of interpack and Save Food.
Multivac, an FPSA member, became a charter sponsor of Save Food, joining the initiative in 2011. “As a packaging manufacturer, we are keenly aware of the negative perceptions many consumers have about plastic and its potential environmental impact,” said Jim Mitchell, CEO of Multivac USA. “We considered our involvement in Save Food as a way to counter this opposition by educating consumers about the ways we contribute to sustainability — specifically with our ability to reduce food waste with viable packaging options.”
The company also views the initiative as a way to educate markets that aren’t mature in their packaging practices about better ways to handle food.
“In China, for example, a large majority of the population purchases its meat in the fresh-kill markets, which typically don’t adhere to food safety standards,” said Christian Traumann, CFO, Multivac Group. “Through the Save Food initiative, we can raise awareness of the benefits of packaging not only from a food-safety standpoint but also shelf-life and convenience.”
For more information, visit www.save-food.org.
