Cultivar_3_Alimentação sustentável e saudávell

Food waste occurs at all levels of the food chain and we are all responsible for it, so we should all contribute to its eradication. When we preserve food safety and quality, we actively contribute to preventing food waste. Many initiatives exist to promote the fight against food waste at all levels in the food chain and public policies should support them, whether they are initiated by individuals, organisations or industry. They will be made more efficient if supported by relevant education, of consumers and businesses alike, and positive encouragements. FoodDrinkEurope’s “Every Crumb Counts” is one such initiative, bringing together 18 European organisations who commit to a number of concrete measures and complement them by specific recommendations made to policy- makers about incentives, policies, harmonisation, etc. The Challenge of Climate Change By 2050, an extra 1.7 billion people on the planet will result in the demand for an extra 60% in food supply globally, a 45% increase in demand for energy and some 30% more water for agriculture. One of the answers to this major challenge is cooperation. All partners along the food chain will have to work together and engage with other parties in order to mitigate the impact of climate change. Governments, non-governmental organisations, civil society, researchers and other stakeholders have to agree together on a strategy to counter the effects of climate change – and as much as possible to reverse what they can of its negative effects. For the time being, the food and drink industry must play its role in mitigating climate change and adapt whatever measures deemed necessary or useful to reduce its impact on resources and production. This means reducing greenhouse gas emissions, water and energy consumption, increasing the use of renewable energy and optimising packaging, transport and logistics. Sustainable sourcing of raw materials is another such measure. Best practices exist and should be shared amongst all the operators across the food chain in order to multiply their positive impact. Climate Action (Goal 13 of the SDGs) covers a broad array of issues, many of which are already promoting responsible business conduct. With this in mind, it is important to continue working together to globally mitigate climate change and to achieve ambitious results at the Paris COP21 Summit, to take place this December. As we go to press, it is not clear yet whether governments will have the means and the will to really reach an agreement on a new global framework for climate change, one which would not only allow for further mitigation and adaptation to climate change but also one which would help our industry promote a more sustainable and resilient food production system. Sustainable Production and Healthy Eating But producing high quality, safe and affordable food and drinks is not enough. Today’s consumers demand more choice so they can decide on their eating habits and maintain a balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle in the least troublesome way possible. The food and drink industry is conscious of this demand and endeavours to adapt and offer ever more innovation and options to meet it. It is said that “necessity is the mother of invention” and indeed, innovation generally comes naturally at times of risk of shortages. We need to go further with our food science and technology research and be supported by non-intrusive policies, which allow for honest and transparent research, facilitate implementation and shorten the timespan between research, approval and putting a new product on the market. Consumer information also remains a priority; clear labelling, information on portion sizes, guidelines on daily intake of various nutrients etc. Today’s consumers are demanding to know where and how their food and drink was produced, what it contains and how they should integrate it in their daily diets. Self-regulatory initiatives already exist