The AIP ran their new half-day training course ‘The Role of Packaging in Minimising Food Waste’ with Dr Karli Verghese FAIP, Associate Professor, RMIT, as the course lecturer for this first time this week in Melbourne. The course was interactive and dynamic and allowed all attendees the opportunity to really deep-dive into the true role that packaging can play in minimising food waste.
Food Waste is a global issue as it has been estimated that 1/3 of the food grown for human consumption, globally, is wasted each year (~$1 trillion per annum). In Australia, it has been estimated that we waste $20 billion of food per year and $10 Billion of this is within households.
Key leanings from the course include that consumers remove food from packaging (when the packaging is designed to keep food fresher). Consumers don’t make use of packaging functionality (e.g., reclose). Consumers don’t look at or follow guidance on pack (when to consume by, how to store, whether food can be frozen).
The course will continue to be run across Australia and New Zealand and even parts of Asia in 2018 and 2019. As a part of its commitment to the National Food Waste Strategy the AIP will be working with its Members and the wider industry to establish criteria and guidelines for Save Food Packaging Development this year.
