Food packaging has come a long way over the last decade, those of you in the food manufacturing business—as well as those, like me, on the materials science side—have witnessed a rapidly rolling movement placing environmental friendliness at the top of priorities lists.

Crops spoiling too quickly after harvesting or during transportation and manufacturing drives up prices and generates a vast amount of waste.

Food waste is a big part of the conversation with consumers in 2023. Consumer research conducted by Do Good Foods in September 2022 reveals that “Americans want to be more climate-friendly, and nearly half are more concerned about food waste than they were a year ago.”

The fiber-based Modified Atmosphere Packaging RAP Sandwich Wedge is designed for sandwiches and wraps.

Suboptimal transport conditions and equipment play a significant role in food wastage; upgrading refrigerated equipment with telematics can be a realistic, sustainable part of the solution

Food packaging today is so much more than just protecting the individual product. It is true that the most important function, from the moment of packaging throughout transport, storage and retail, is to ensure that the contents arrive in private households in one piece. But design and material also have a large influence on buying decisions, because more and more people want food that comes in a more sustainable package.

There are a number of approaches which businesses can use to assess and reduce food waste, and in most cases a mixture of valorization, utilization, and process improvement will be required.

A new report from Future Market Insights highlights what countries can and are doing to improve food waste management.

While there are so many places for food loss to occur, a smarter supply chain could help alleviate some of it.

Kiva has created the donations project in hopes of revolutionizing the cannabis industry by utilizing potentially wasted product and better serving its community.