Awareness Sessions on the International Day of Food Loss and Waste

An awareness session on the International Day of Food Loss and Waste was conducted by Mr. Turab Randhava, Co-Founder of MGVCP in Irshad Hall, Packages Limited. Participants from various Packages Group companies including PCL, DIC, and Starch Pack attended the informative and engaging session. The global food system, from production through to consumption, emits around one-third of total annual greenhouse gas emissions – some 18GtCO2e. Food waste causes approximately half of this! Therefore, individual and collective action, are required to tackle emissions caused by food loss and waste.
If food loss and waste were a country, it would be the third-highest greenhouse gas (GHG) emitting nation behind the US and China. Food waste that ends up in landfills releases methane (CH4), a GHG with a global warming potential approximately 28–36 times higher than carbon dioxide (CO2). The resources required to produce uneaten food have an estimated carbon footprint of 3.3bn tonnes of CO2. Food loss occurs between the post-harvest/slaughter period and the retail level. Food waste results from the actions of retailers, food service providers, and consumers. A decrease in food waste and loss could have numerous co-benefits for food security, climate, and the economy. The UN has adopted objectives to reduce food waste and loss as part of its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). SDG 12, which focuses on ensuring sustainable consumption and production patterns, includes target 12.3 to “halve per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels and reduce food losses along production and supply chains” by 2030. Meeting this goal would cause a 38% reduction in the carbon footprint of food loss and waste, equivalent to the GHG emissions of Japan. A month-long campaign on Food Loss and Waste was conducted across Packages Group to promote individual action against Food Loss and Waste. Awareness sessions were conducted at PCL, BSP, and Sanofi Aventis Pakistan Limited to educate employees regarding their role in the reduction of emissions pertaining to food loss and waste.