SUPPLY CHAIN EFFICIENCIES CRUCIAL TO SUSTAIN GLOBAL FOOD DEMAND

Check out this article from Food Product Design.

LONDON—Supply chain efficiencies are crucial to create a sustainable food environment capable of feeding a growing global population, according to a consensus of 160 senior executives from the food industry at the 3rd North American edition of the Sustainable Foods Summit, hosted in San Francisco, January 22-23.

Sustainable agriculture has a role to improve the environmental and social footprint of food products, while reducing waste can expand the supply base, reduce food inflation and improve food security.

Opening keynote speaker journalist Jonathan Bloom described as "morally callous" the fact that a third of food

 produced for human consumption is wasted, while more than 15% of American households struggle to find enough food. Bloom stated agriculture consumes 10% of the oil, 45% of the land and 80% of the water resources.

Amy Kirkland from the Food Waste Reduction Alliance (FWRA), a joint alliance of Food Marketing Institute (FMI) Arlington, VA and the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) Washington, D.C., said two-thirds of food waste goes to landfills, creating environmental pollution and contributing to social issues. Other preferred routes over landfill waste were listed as source reduction, feed hungry people, feed animals, industrial use or composting. Bon Appetit Management Company, Scottsdale, AZ,  showed how it is reducing food waste by apportioning meal sizes and changing menu options. The foodservice company has also set up a food recovery program to feed the hungry. With no centralized waste disposal system, Whole Foods Market, Austin, TX, is composting its food waste. The natural & organic food retailer stated waste management infrastructure was vital for a successful food waste program.

 Michael W. Hewett from Publix Super Markets, Inc., Lakeland, FL, said retailers now factor a ‘myriad of competing elements’ when tackling sustainability. He believes change is vital; the current environmental footprint of the human population is 1.3 planets, while three earths would be needed to meet the needs of a 9 billion population. Hewett called for radical innovation and collaborations to meet the challenges ahead; food supply chains should be a major focus considering they have 80% of sustainability opportunities.

Amarjit Sahota, president of Organic Monitor, London, said the number of food eco-labels is proliferating. He warned that multiple logos and seals on food products could deter consumers from buying sustainable foods. To overcome ‘label fatigue’, the Ethical Bean Coffee Company, Vancouver, B.C., provides Quick Response (QR) codes on its products so consumers could get as much, or as little, information as they required. The Canadian company has set up ethical sourcing projects for its sustainable coffee in Guatemala.

 James Clark, founder of social media agency Room 214, Boulder, CO, explained that consumers are becoming more connected to each other by social media, yet less connected to the environment. Describing this as the ‘dark side of social media’, he encouraged more transparency in social media communications for sustainable products.

The next North American edition of this executive summit will take place in San Francisco in January 2014.

Check out my latest e-book entitled: "Social Media Marketing in Agri-Foods: Endless Profit and Painless Gain".  

The book is available on Amazon and Kindle for $4.99 USD. Visit amazon/Kindle to order now:
http://www.amazon.ca/Social-Media-Marketing-Agri-Foods-ebook/dp/B00C42OB3E/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1364756966&sr=1-1

Written by Bruce MacDonald, a 30 year veteran of the Agri-food industry, in "Social Media Marketing in Agri-Foods: Endless Profit and Painless Gain", Bruce applies his background and expertise in Agri-foods and social media to the latest trends, tools and methodologies needed to craft a successful on-line campaign. While the book focuses on the Agri-food market specifically, I believe that many of the points Bruce makes are equally applicable to most other industries.