According to the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), a third of the food produced worldwide is being wasted. This is not only the food loss itself we face, but also a huge loss of valuable resources. Considering the growing world population that we need to feed, and the climate change we are facing, food loss is no longer an acceptable part of a sustainable food system.
In the Netherlands, approximately 150 kilos of food per person per year is being wasted, food that could have been consumed. Recently, food waste found its way onto the public agenda, mainly focussing at the end of the chain: points of sales (supermarkets, catering) and the consumer. However, at the beginning of the chain, in the agricultural production and processing, many food waste occurs. About 30% of all food wasted across the food chain happens on-farm.
An example of why food is being wasted are 2nd and 3rd grade fruits and vegetables that don’t have the perfect shape or colour. Nowadays, the focus in the food chain is on the first-class product that can be sold in supermarkets and meets the quality requirements of the customer. Everything else is hardly appreciated, although it is often a perfectly edible product.
In order to utilize these products, we need solutions which add value to these products. A shift in thinking is needed. The Food Heroes are going against the great current of nowadays thinking taking on this challenge.
