International Food Loss and Waste Awareness Day

The sustainability of our food supply chains is coming under growing scrutiny. Reports of food losses and waste resonate throughout the food production, manufacturing, and distribution processes. These losses manifest at every stage, from the initial production to the final delivery to consumers. While the most significant losses tend to occur after the consumer stage, post-harvest losses remain a concern as well.

Food Loss & Carbon

It’s important to recognise that every instance of food or food ingredient loss, regardless of whether it happens during storage, transportation, or processing, has a direct impact on your company’s overarching carbon footprint and its financial bottom line. In particular, post-harvest losses translate to the wasting of edible food. This food could otherwise have contributed to consumption and retail sales.

The precise gathering of data related to food loss emerges as a critical factor in shaping strategic decisions and policy frameworks. This data doesn’t just function as a shield for the incomes of producers; it also reinforces measures aimed at preserving the integrity of food and optimally using available resources.

The solution

The remedy to these issues is refreshingly straightforward. By amplifying the efficiency of supply chains through increased attention to logistics, infrastructure, and equipment enhancement, food supply chains become more robust and resilient. However, the current landscape is marked by an alarming scarcity of information concerning food loss data. This dearth of accurate reporting obliges organisations like the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to resort to approximations that can reach as high as 93% due to the absence of comprehensive data.

Here’s where Trade Interchange’s ARCUS^® Supplier Management Software can help. By affording a holistic perspective of your supply base, the software proves indispensable with its adept data collection and storage capabilities. Our eRFX and Supplier Information Management (SIM) modules offer a dynamic system to construct questionnaires tailored precisely to your prerequisites. Whether they encompass concerns about environmental, social, and governance (ESG) matters or delve into specifics about food safety and loss data, our team can support you.

The outcome is a supply base distinguished by heightened accuracy and augmented value. Furthermore, you can build a centralised repository of information that draws from official data sources and pertinent suppliers themselves. This empowers you to reference crucial data at your convenience, enriching your decision-making acumen and fostering the development of robust and resilient supply chains which can stand the test of time through uncertainties.