It is difficult to live quietly with the current waste of food, which is no small thing. Data from the Brazilian Association of Supermarkets (ABRAS), for example, show that the sector left about R $ 7 billion in 2016, due to food being thrown away due to appearance, damage or validity. Most of it was fruit and vegetables (FLV). But bakery, confectionery, ready-made food, fish and meats also weighed in on waste. Together, these categories recorded losses close to 20% of the sector’s net sales.
The waste begins in the crops, continues after the gate and makes 30% of what is produced in the field does not reach the consumer, according to FAO Brazil, UN agency for agriculture and food. This enormity of wasted food stems, in part, from the very gigantism of the food production and distribution system, a reflection of the accelerated urbanization we are experiencing. Food is lost in transportation, in retail handling, in processing, by patterns of consumption, expiration and deterioration.
To reduce the problem, it is generally sought to extend the shelf life of perishable products with improvements in refrigeration, packaging, display techniques and logistics. Genetics is also called to develop cultivars that are more resistant to the challenges of the complex course from field to table. And there is also marketing, which can help in this crusade against waste by working on beliefs that today contribute to the stranding of products.
It has already been found, by research, that more than 40% of people associate ugly and unfit for consumption (which is not necessarily a fact) and changing that perception, with transparency and within ethical principles, would certainly contribute to reducing waste. Encouraging new forms of consumption is another possible way, taking advantage of foods outside the conventional primer in juices, soups, salads and other forms of preparation. Finally, bet on the concept of convenience and consumer education to dribble the product reject.
It is also possible to reposition products of lower perceived value, increasing its attractiveness for consumption. The case of the little “apples of Monica” is already a classic. Girls, non-standardpremiumand sour, they had no great appeal and were used to produce juice. But they were reconceptualized as a product for children, with the publicity enhancement of a famous character of children’s comics, opening their space in the market. Today, it is said that sourdewares represent more than 10% of the national apple market.
In the complex food production system, hardly a single thing solves a major problem. It is a multidisciplinary sector and often the solution to its challenges is not only along the supply chain, but also at the point of supply, in the minds of consumers. Preventing an enormous amount of food from ending up in the trash seems to be one of your essential challenges. Vital to the sustainability of the sector. And marketing can help a lot.
* Coriolan Xavier is Vice-President of Communication of the Sustainable Agricultural Scientific Council (CCAS), Professor of the Agro-Business Studies Center of ESPM