In a world focused on dealing with COVID-19, addressing the numerous pressing environmental issues that are putting our planet and the human race at risk is all the more relevant. It certainly makes us realise how vulnerable we all are and should spur every one of us to tidy up the way we manage our finite resources. Take global food wastage, whilst some progress has been made the figures are still terrifying. Currently, it has been estimated that 1.6 billion tonnes of food is wasted annually. According to World Food Waste one ton of food waste prevented could save 4.2 tons of CO2 equivalent. Consumer demand for fresh, convenient and healthy foods that are nutritious and safe has led to an increased amount of fresh-cut vegetables, fruits and ready-made convenience foods. These kinds of produce generally have a short shelf-life due to poor temperature and packaging management. Even in developed countries with good packaging and temperature infrastructure, the amount of fresh cut products that are landfilled remains high. In developing countries the situation is far worse and a high percentage of food is wasted between harvest and market due in the main to poor protective packaging. In India, where some 40% is wasted before it even reaches the markets, all packaging is done at the processing stage and most of it traps moisture causing the food to rapidly deteriorate. Being able to increase the shelf-life of food is a key step. To view the full article visit the Innovators Magazine.
