The new research, led by Wrap (Waste & Resources Action Programme) and Envirowise, will develop detailed ‘resource maps’ to identify the amount of food and packaging waste generated and where it occurs.
Data will be collected for four types of meat (poultry, beef, lamb and pork) and 20 fish types from haddock to cockles at all points along the wholesale and retail supply chain within the UK.
The project will also detail the amount of water consumed and disposed of during processing. The carbon impact of waste and its economic value will be identified, too.
Wrap and Envirowise are encouraging companies to take part in the research to provide accurate and up to date information about waste produced across all parts of the supply chain. The results will benefit participating businesses and the wider industry by identifying key areas where resources can be used more efficiently and waste can be prevented.
Charlotte Henderson, retail supply chain programme manager at Wrap, said: “Meat and fish are priority food items for resource mapping because of their high embodied carbon and short shelf-life. Identifying where and when the waste is generated – and the reasons why – will help us develop solutions to use resources more efficiently. These solutions will be shared and be good news for companies within the supply chains because the benefits identified will be commercial as well as environmental.”
Source: Wrap
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