Food waste occurs throughout farming production and the supply chain around the world.
Food is wasted during agricultural production and ultimately ends at household consumption. This creates financial losses for farmers and creates nearly 1.3 billion tons of food lost each year (Graziano, 2016). Food loss not only hurts communities, it also has an environmental impact as it places pressure on land, water, biodiversity and causes additional greenhouse gas emissions.
Food Waste In Developing Nations:
Food loss is more significant in impoverished countries as food is compromised during the storage process. The insufficient or obsolete harvest technologies due to lack of infrastructure creates high food losses in low-income regions (Gustavsson, 2011). Fish, fruits, vegetables, and meat are often compromised due to the absence of proper storage. The failure to comply with minimum food safety standards results in food that is not fit for human consumption and therefore wasted.
Storage facilities could radically improve seasonal shortfalls and preserve the nutrient content of foods. Proper storage could also enhance the stability of food supplies during off-seasons.
Through the assistance of non-profit and government organizations, the Aldelano Solar ColdBox could provide local farming communities with cold storage that will improve the life of their crops between harvest and sale.
Food Waste In Developed Countries:
While food waste may be significant in developing nations, developed countries such as the United States still experience food waste throughout the supply chain. While some food waste at the industry level is due to process inedible parts, a large amount of food still goes un-eaten and sold due to supply chain weaknesses.
The United States has approximately 150 MMT of food throughout the supply chain, with nearly 70 MMT being edible food loss. That is more food lost in the US than the food supply of other developed nations such as France, Germany, Australia, Japan and UK which have 20 to 80 MMT of food supply for human consumption.
The Aldelano Solar ColdBox provides solar cold storage post-harvest, at distribution centers and prior to export. The Solar ColdBox assists farmers by preventing harvest from being damaged by pests, pathogens and weather.
Storage To Reduce Food Waste:
The Aldelano Solar ColdBox™ is an industrial-grade, portable, solar-powered cold storage mini-warehouse that provides a completely renewable power source. It is ideal for remote locations and with virtually no operating costs, the Aldelano Solar ColdBox™ is deliverable virtually anywhere.
Not only can the Solar ColdBox reduce food waste, it is a sustainable and reliable alternative to other storage options. Aldelano ensures its Solar Cold Chain Solutions are dependable and resilient in order to provide investments that last.
Learn more about the Aldelano Solar ColdBox.
Sources:
Dou, Zhengxia, James D. Ferguson, David T. Galligan, Alan M. Kelly, Steven M. Finn, and Robert Giegengack. “Assessing US Food Watage and Opportunities For Reduction.” Elsevier (2015): 19-26. Web. 13 June 2017. <http://ac.els-cdn.com/S2211912415300195/1-s2.0-S2211912415300195-main.pdf?_tid=33f12a0a-5063-11e7-8259-00000aab0f27&acdnat=1497377446_41c828e7b89746cc5d58949ee1ac9d53>
Graziano Da Silva, Jose. “Food Losses and Waste: A Challenge to Sustainable Development.” Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. United Nations, 10 Aug. 2016. Web. 13 June 2017. <http://www.fao.org/save-food/news-and-multimedia/news/news-details/en/c/429182/>.
Gustavsson, Jenny. “Causes and Prevention of Food Losses and Waste.” 4. Causes and Prevention of Food Losses and Waste (2011): n. pag. FAO.org. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 1 Jan. 2011. Web. 13 June 2017. <http://www.fao.org/docrep/014/mb060e/mb060e03.pdf>.