FOOD WASTE
Our
Food Waste Timeline | Tesco
to follow similar eco-conscious practices . And in the UK alone , in the past year , there has been an 89 % increase in food wasterelated Google searches .
And corporates are listening . Mentions of ‘ food waste ’ on corporate earnings calls tripled between the second quarter of 2016 and 2021 ’ s second quarter , found a CB Insights report , while investment into food waste tech startups reached record levels . According to Adam Boutin , a partner at strategic investing firm Capital One Ventures , most companies “ are feeling more pressure – and I mean that in a good way – to focus on ESG ”.
The pressure to make change is starker still considering the Sustainable Development Goals ’ target of halving ( per capita ) global food waste by 2030 .
It ’ s a massive undertaking , and one that requires collaborative action throughout the food chain , from farmers , governments and manufacturers through retailers and consumers . The good news is that collaborative action is becoming easier , not just because of increased commitment to change , but because technology is making change possible , and at a faster rate .
Some governments are already on board with strategies to tackle their own food production , and waste . The UAE , which currently imports 90 % of its food and wastes US $ 3.5bn each year , has committed to producing 50 % of its food locally by 2051 with initiatives including construction of the world ’ s largest indoor vertical farming unit in Abu Dhabi and creation of Food Tech Valley , a hub for the incubation of R & D , tech and ideas to achieve zero and reduce waste .
Singapore has also put its best foodtech foot forward with a recent injection of US $ 30m by Temasek and the government in the city-state ’ s Food Tech Innovation Centre designed to buoy investment in agtech and foodtech . businesschief . com 99