ESG
Food waste
Background
Global food waste insights
Food waste is a major ESG issue that governments, NGOs and other organisations are working to raise awareness – and limit the impact – of.
When talking about the subject, there are two categories, or types that the UN distinguishes between, and our products and expertise can have an impact on both.
‘Food loss’ refers to foods or natural ingredients lost in production and supply chains. Around 13% of all food in production and supply chains post-harvest goes to waste.
‘Food waste’ refers to the vast quantities of food which isn’t consumed and therefore thrown away. Around 19% of all food which reaches homes, supermarket shelves and restaurant kitchens goes to waste.
In the 2024 UN Food Waste report, it is estimated that, in total, around one billion of tonnes of food goes to waste every year, with households accounting for nearly two thirds of that figure.
This means that households waste nearly twice as much food as supermarkets, hotels, restaurants, etc. – which, in turn, suggests that extending the shelf-life of foods that reach our homes can have a profound impact on global food waste.
40% of food produced worldwide is wasted
8-10% of global greenhouse gas emissions are caused by food waste
25% of agricultural water use goes toward food that is never consumed
For more global food waste insights, see this article from November 2024.
Customer pain
With an estimated 50% of all bread going to waste, any company involved in bread baking knows they have a major responsibility in extending the shelf-life of their products. But so too do companies producing ice cream that loses its appeal in consumer freezers, cakes that dry out before being enjoyed, or breakfast spreads that ‘oil out’ before reaching a breakfast plate, etc.
This requires companies across food industries to rethink the ways their food is produced and packaged.
Customer gain
Across our portfolio, Palsgaard has a range of products and solutions that can help extend shelf-life and keep their appeal.
And on a production level, we can help companies reduce food loss by increasing efficiencies (with less rework and re-runs required).
Feature
High functionality emulsifiers and industry-leading application expertise
Benefit
Minimised food loss thanks to greater production efficiency throughout all our major food categories, from confectionery to dairy and lipids, and reduced food waste thanks to extended product shelf life in ice cream and baking
Value
Less food loss in production through more effective use of raw ingredients and scarce resources – and reduced quality fluctuation which necessitates production re-runs
Value
Reasons to believe
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Demonstrated customer cases across food types and geographical locations over many years
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High functionality emulsifiers with individual certificates of analysis for every batch, giving you full production control and minimising quality fluctuations and waste
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Stable emulsifier and stabiliser recipes with long storage shelf-life
Value
Less food waste thanks to extended shelf life for your cakes, ice creams, food spreads, chocolate milk drinks and margarine/butter
Value
Improved ESG profile and brand image
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Improved softness and extended shelf-life for cakes with Palsgaard® DMG specialty 5611 anti-staling agent
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Increased heat shock stability and reduced crystal formation in ice cream with ExtruIce
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Reduced oil separation in food spreads with OilBinder range
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Lower sedimentation in chocolate milk drinks with ChoMilk range
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Less water droplet formation on low fat margarines and butters with Special DMG and PGPR
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Proven reductions in food loss during production and less food waste with extended product shelf-life
HEADLINE HEADLINE
FEATURE
Twice as effective as lecithin in substituting the rheology effect of cocoa butter
BENEFIT
Up to 8% cocoa butter savings compared to chocolate not using lecithin
(up to 4% savings compared with lecithin)
Objection handling
OBJECTION 1
"Environmental and sustainability initiatives are usually costly. This sounds expensive.”
SUGGESTED ANSWER
By minimising food loss in your production, your production efficiency will increase. And, generally, products with extended shelf life will be more desirable to consumers. So the benefits will more than outweigh any potential added costs.
Objection handling
OBJECTION 2
"If we change the ingredients or contents of our products, consumers will notice the taste difference immediately”
SUGGESTED ANSWER
Our application experts will collaborate closely with your teams – to ensure no difference in the quality, taste or appearance of your products – by optimising recipes and developing new ones.
Objection handling
OBJECTION 3
"I’m not aware of the specific areas of focus in our ESG strategy, so this might be irrelevant”
SUGGESTED ANSWER
All food companies have a responsibility to reduce food loss and food waste – in many countries around the world, it is even becoming a matter of legal compliance.
Downloads
ESG
Food waste
VALUE PAPER
