A real waste: As the Irish retail industry generates 100,000 tonnes of food waste each year, Julia O’Reilly examines what retailers are doing to combat the issue

Toxic waste

The Irish retail industry generates 100,000 tonnes of food waste each year. Julia O’Reilly examines the impact of food waste on the environment and what retailers are doing to combat the issue

More than one quarter of food produced globally goes to waste. When that food is wasted, so too are the resources that go into its production. A global issue with wide-reaching environmental, social, and economic consequences, food can be lost or wasted at all points in the food supply chain. While consumers are responsible for generating a significant amount of waste overall, it remains crucial that those in the food industry prioritise food waste prevention and respond to unavoidable waste in a sustainable way.

Still, much of Ireland’s food waste is avoidable. Research from Safefood has shown that up to 30% of the food Irish consumers purchase is thrown away, while the average Irish household throws out 150kg of food each year at a cost of approximately €700. Current food waste in the commercial sector in Ireland is estimated to be 303,000 tonnes per annum - one third of that is derived from retail alone.

Major offender

Tackling food waste is one of the essential steps we must take to achieve sustainability, to help combat climate change, and to support the transition to a circular economy. A major environmental offender, food waste generates 8-10% of global greenhouse gas emissions each year.

In line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, Ireland has committed to reducing its food waste by 50% by 2030. In 2019, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimated that Ireland generated about 1.1 million tonnes of food waste. If Ireland is to shave that figure in half, there is a need for change at the retail, production, and consumer levels. With 2030 just a few short years away, there is immense need for quick, effective action.

Waste prevention

In a bid to steer our efforts towards achieving this goal, the Irish government recently launched a public consultation on the draft of Ireland’s National Food Waste Prevention Roadmap. This will set out the series of actions required for us to meet our ambitious targets and members of the retail industry have been invited to participate in the consultation.

In the meantime, there are ample methods retailers can embrace to limit their waste generation. Speaking with ShelfLife magazine, Arthur McGuire of McGuire’s Daybreak in Galway City said he uses several methods to manage stock levels and keep waste at a minimum: “Storage space within my store is very limited,” said McGuire. “This constrains us somewhat, so we have a number of ways to ensure we have just enough of what we need.

“In the deli we use stock/order cards which are updated regularly with the assistance of our fresh food advisor. Waste sheets tell us what is not selling and those combined with our regular delivery schedules help ensure both quality and freshness is assured.” He continued: “In the shop we monitor dates on a daily basis and record them in a waste book which obviously tells us what’s not selling. Any item with a short date is put on promotion.”

Arthur McGuire, who was named ShelfLife’s Convenience Store Manager of the Year 2021 in the Small category, strives to minimise food waste

Consumer insights

McGuire also receives support and insights from his symbol group, Daybreak: “Being part of Daybreak gives us an insight into what is selling in other stores, and we also receive guidance from our Daybreak business development manager on consumer trends. As with the deli, our back office tells us how much we sell on a weekly or even daily basis, so we base our orders on those reports.”

Engagement with customers is also essential, he added, and experience in the

industry certainly helps: “Obviously with over 40 years running the shop you get to know every aspect that’s makes the shop run smoothly and efficiently.”

FoodCloud

Irish social enterprise FoodCloud creates solutions that allow retailers to redistribute surplus food to local communities, reduce the environmental impact of food waste and the social impact of food insecurity. In 2021, FoodCloud redistributed over 16,000 tonnes of surplus food to its charity and community group partners. This is equivalent to 39 million meals.

FoodCloud offers two services to redistribute surplus food to over 650 community groups across Ireland. The first is a technology platform that connects over 500 supermarkets (Tesco, Lidl, Aldi, and Musgrave MarketPlace) with surplus or excess food directly to local community groups, allowing retailers to upload details of excess food to the platform and local community groups are then notified to collect it. The second is its FoodCloud Hubs, which collect and redistribute large volumes of surplus food generated across the food supply chain.

“We now have over 200 food companies making regular donations of surplus food including BWG, Country Crest, Primeline, Pallas Foods, Coca-Cola, Danone, Mars and Kellogg’s,” said Vivienne Lawlor, head of communications at FoodCloud, speaking with ShelfLife magazine.

Its work provides community groups with the opportunity to access free surplus food, which they can use to reduce their food costs and enhance their services to the individuals that they support. The solution also helps retailers to reduce the environmental, social, and economic impact of food waste.

Community engagement

“FoodCloud’s solutions allow food businesses to contribute to their communities in a meaningful and practical way, whilst also reducing their impact on the environment by reducing the amount of food that they waste. Working with FoodCloud also helps to reduce the food costs of charitable organisations and allows them to enhance their service offering.

“Food businesses are increasingly looking for solutions to lessen their impact on the planet, and that includes reducing food waste,” added Lawlor. “We know that food waste can happen across the supply chain for a variety of reasons, so collaboration through supply chains is key to identifying drivers of surplus and taking action to reduce waste.”

FoodCloud co-founder Aoibheann O’Brien (middle), with leading chef Jess Murphy (left), and head chef Erica Long of Obair’s Meal on Wheels service in Newmarket-On-Fergus

FoodCloud partnered with some of the country’s leading chefs last year for an ‘All Taste Zero Waste’ online series to help drive awareness of the huge problem that food waste poses in Ireland. Pictured here are FoodCloud co-founder Aoibheann O’Brien (left), with leading chef Mark Moriarty (middle), and Limerick-based charity, Novas’ chef, Fionnuala O’Brien

Best-before

How we interact with best-before dates will also have a part to play in reducing food waste. In fact, John Allan, chairman of Tesco, recently told families that they could stretch their grocery haul by ignoring ‘overconservative’ best-before dates. Speaking to BBC One last month, Allan said: “There is a re-appraisal going on at the moment about whether sell-by or eat-by dates are overconservative, and I think that’s going to change in the years ahead. Quite a lot of those dates will come off. I know I can keep bread in the fridge for quite a long time beyond its official life and I think savvy customers realise that as well.”

He said that ‘many people’, himself included, consume products beyond their recommended date, and the move to potentially change the use-by dates will also help reduce food waste.

“Food waste in the home is actually much greater than food waste in our stores,” he said. “And I think one of the things we have to do is to help shoppers realise that there are ways in which they can have less food waste at home.”

Big wins

Providing a crucial link between producers and consumers, retailers play an influential role in the supply chain. Through their unique positioning, retailers have the ability to share insights about why food may be wasted and what can be done to limit that waste. It is through their lead that real change in food waste prevention in Ireland will be delivered.

While real changes will have to be made at every level of the supply chain if we are to tackle the food waste problem, the longterm benefits significantly outweigh the costs. “Food waste reduction offers multifaceted wins for people and the planet, improving food security, addressing climate change, saving money and reducing pressures on land, water, biodiversity and waste management systems,” continued Lawlor. “Yet this potential has, until now, been woefully under-exploited.” Better late than never. n