Food waste is a global tragedy
A decade ago, the United Nations (UN) Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) came up with a striking message: one third of the annual global food production for human consumption, equalling approximately 1.3 billion tons, is wasted or lost[1]. This matter was so important that all UN member states committed to reducing food loss and waste (FLW) by half by the year 2030. This objective aligns with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Unfortunately, we have not yet found a lasting solution to the problem in question. In 2022, households on all continents wasted over 1 billion meals per day. At the same time, over 783 million people suffered from hunger and a third of humanity faced food insecurity, a term coined by the FAO as the situation when people lack secure access to sufficient amounts of safe and nutritious food for normal growth and development and an active and healthy life. Of all food waste, 60% occurred in households, while food services and retail were responsible for 28% and 12%, respectively[2].
Food waste continues to harm the global economy and exacerbate climate change, biodiversity loss and (chemical) pollution. Recent data shows that FLW account for 8 to 10% of annual global greenhouse gas emissions, equivalent to five times that of the aviation sector. It also accounts for significant biodiversity loss by taking up almost a third of the world’s agricultural land. Moreover, the economic burden of FLW is substantial[2].
The data also show that food waste is not just a problem in developed nations. The average amount of food waste per person hardly varies by 7 kg, be it the inhabitants of richer or poorer countries. At the same time, countries with warmer climates tend to generate more food waste per household. This may be due to increased consumption of fresh foods with large inedible parts, coupled with a lack of adequate refrigeration facilities.
Uhlig et al. wondered if improved packaging could help solve the FLW problem[3].
One food item is distinct from another
Fruits and vegetables account for a substantial portion (~35%) of avoidable food waste3, which includes items that are perfectly edible but are discarded or not eaten promptly. There are several explanations for this phenomenon. Firstly, fresh produce like fruit has a shorter shelf life, making it more susceptible to spoilage. However, several other elements, such as illnesses, inclement weather, inferior seeds, and harvest-related mechanical damage, can contribute to food waste. Additionally, fruit and vegetables tend to have a substantial amount of unfit-for-consumption components.
Considerable quantities of meat, fish, cooked food, and dairy products are also wasted3. Both animal meat and seafood often become unsuitable for consumption (by exceeding the expiry date) or unsafe, as indicated by the discolouration of the meat during quality inspections. The reasons for discarding dairy products include the expiry date, uncertainty on the part of the consumer as to whether the food is safe to eat, and the wrong amount for their needs, as well as difficulty emptying the package completely.
The importance of food packaging
The packaging-related reasons for FLW are categorized as packaging conditions and/or characteristics, packaging size, damaged packaging as well as problems during packaging manufacturing3. In the early stages of the food supply chain (FSC), food packaging-related losses frequently occur due to poor stackability and overloaded transportation, resulting in mechanical damage. Packaging used for transportation frequently becomes contaminated, resulting in further waste. Bulky, unstable, inadequately ventilated, and frequently contaminated crates lead to significant waste of fresh produce during transportation. Additionally, the constant alteration of packaging for marketing purposes exacerbates this problem.
Moreover, factors such as mislabelling and inaccurate filling, as well as illegible or incomplete barcodes, and insufficient packaging information contribute to food wastage too. At the consumer level, over half of the preventable food waste is discarded in its original packaging. Proper packaging could have extended the shelf life of some products, preventing them from being thrown away prematurely. Approximately 20% of prepared or cooked food is discarded, with around 12% in opened packaging and 6% in the original, unopened packaging.
Besides the prevalent issue of damaged packaging in the FSC, the most often mentioned complaint is that the packaging is oversized, leading to consumers wasting food and food becoming spoiled after the packaging is opened, thereby losing its protective function.
Enhancing packaging across the FSC has the potential to substantially decrease FLW. Key considerations include inadequate protection, inappropriate material selection, labelling effectiveness, and packaging that is difficult to open or empty. Other crucial factors are temperature control, ventilation, as well as the limited possibility to repack the food.
This more that ten-year-old message has hardly lost any value[4].
A take away message
The idea that packaging can help reduce FLW is now widely accepted. Uhlig et al. have identified three priority areas for the future3. First, they recommend examining the relationship between packaging and FLW throughout the FSC, with a focus on different packaging types and specific food items. Also, transportation packaging needs closer scrutiny in the early stages of the FSC. Finally, improving packaging in the final stages of the FSC has great potential for minimising waste.
The role of food packaging in FLW prevention cannot be underestimated and must be considered on an application-specific basis to develop specific strategies for reducing packaging-related FLW along the FSC.
[1]https://twosides.info/includes/files/upload/files/UK/Myths_and_Facts_2016_Sources/18-19/Key_facts_on_food_loss_and_waste_you_should_know-FAO_2016.pdf
[2] https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/press-release/world-squanders-over-1-billion-meals-day-un-report
[3] Uhlig (2025). Food wastage along the global food supply chain and the impact of food packaging. Journal of Consumer Protection and Food Safety, 20(1), 5-17 (and references herein)
[4] Verghese et al. (2015). Packaging's role in minimizing food loss and waste across the supply chain. Packaging Technology and Science, 28(7), 603-620
