Value Chain Management International (VCMI), an Oakville-based consultancy, says in a new report entitled, Food Waste: Aligning Government and Industry Within Value Chain Solutions, that 31% of the total food available for consumption in Canada is wasted.
But voluntary agreements struck between industry stakeholders, along with harmonized government policies and regulations, could drive improvements in food production, handling and distribution, says VCMI CEO Martin Gooch.
“Farmers incur the cost of producing their entire crop, while their revenues are impacted by the unnecessary food waste that occurs along the chain,” Gooch says. “By identifying sustainable solutions to food waste, the development of more coordinated and effective value chains would provide farmers with opportunities to improve their margins and profitability.”
Gooch says how money spent on food is distributed depends on how businesses operate and interact, which can be negatively impacted by policies and regulations.
“Inefficient operations, whatever their cause, eat into money that could otherwise be paid to farmers,” he says.
Currently, says Gooch, most efforts introduced to reduce food waste are focused on diverting it from one end point to another, rather than preventing it from happening in the first place. However, diversion doesn’t require fundamental change. As well, it requires limited investment to appear effective, and poses limited risk to government and industry.
Gooch realizes farmers consider themselves regulated enough, and that mandatory requirements to control food waste would likely be unpopular. He recommends voluntary agreements between industry and government to promote change.
Source: Meatbusiness