The Consumer Goods Forum (CGF)’s Food Waste Coalition of Action released its latest report, showing a 22% reduction in average company-level food waste intensity among participating companies since 2021; food waste intensity is defined as the share of total food waste relative to total food handled.
“Reducing food waste is one of the clearest opportunities for the industry to improve efficiencies while minimizing their environmental impact. This analysis provides promising signs of progress but we know the scale of this complex global issue means that every business should continue to step up to the plate. The overall volume of food waste is still high, and the fact that progress varies across sectors and geographies illustrates the need for targeted solutions,” says Sharon Bligh, director of health and sustainability, The Consumer Goods Forum.
Key takeaways:
· The report reflects improvements in reporting and transparency, with companies strengthening data quality, expanding their reporting scope and updating historical submissions, all of which helps the Coalition’s ability to monitor progress and identify priority areas for action.
· While the total reported food waste across all companies rose by 0.78 million tons since the 2023 baseline report, companies are now measuring their operations more thoroughly, which ultimately uncovers more data.
· The data highlights specific areas where the industry can do more, such as overcoming a lack of local infrastructure and using more circular methods for food waste, after focusing on redistribution and animal feed, like composting and anaerobic digestion.
