Maersk Container Industry Teams Up with UN to Combat Global Food Waste (VIDEO)

Maersk Container Industry has joined the United Nations’ SAVE FOOD Initiative to help make international food logistics more efficient.

“Food should not be wasted, but too often it is, and we believe our technologies can help improve the food logistics chain,” says Peter K. Nymand, CEO of Maersk Container Industry, MCI.

Robert van Otterdijk, team leader in SAVE FOOD, says: “Using appropriate refrigeration technology to improve storage and transport conditions for harvested food can have a significant impact on reducing food losses and waste.”

The UN food organization FAO, under which SAVE FOOD is organised, estimates that globally up to 50 % of fruits and vegetables are lost between farm and fork. Transport and distribution may account for between 5% and 20% of the loss depending on the specific region of the world.

Technologies like Star Cool CA and AV+ are used to control a refrigeration container’s temperature, humidity, air flow and air composition. This enables longer transports and better care for fruits and vegetables.

As part of SAVE FOOD, MCI and other companies in the food industry will share expertise. SAVE FOOD sees a benefit from sharing knowledge throughout the food logistics chain where actions in one link invariably affect the next.

“Food is lost or wasted in all links of the food value chain, including transport and distribution. One way to improve is to share knowledge across all links in the food value chain,” says Robert van Otterdijk of UN SAVE FOOD.

Available video includes edited packages in English and Danish, as well as soundbites and B-roll.

Facts:

On the way from farm to fork in Europe or North America up to 50% of all fruit and produce is lost. Distribution and transportation in this case account for about 5% of this loss. (Source: FAO report “Global Food Losses and Food Waste”)

FAO:

“Food losses in industrialized countries are as high as in developing countries, but in developing countries more than 40% of the food losses occur at postharvest and processing levels, while in industrialized countries, more than 40% of the food losses occur at retail and consumer levels.” (Source: FAO report “Global Food Losses and Food Waste”, page III.6)

Maersk, June 13, 2013