February 5 is the ninth National Day of Food Waste Prevention, launched in 2014 by agro economist Andrea Segrè, coordinator of the Ministry of the Environment's National Food Waste Prevention Plan (PINPAS).

What are food waste and its consequences?

Food waste is the dispersion of food that is still edible throughout the chain of production and consumption.

Broadly speaking, food waste is around onethird of all food produced for human consumption and, in rich countries, a large part of the waste is by consumers, while the remainder is wasted during the process of food production, processing, sale, and storage. In developing countries, on the other hand, household food waste is almost zero, but higher numbers are recorded in the intermediate stages of production or due to storage problems.

In addition to the ethical problem, considered far from the Western world, food waste has a strong impact on biodiversity and climate: the estimate reports that food waste is the cause of CO2 emissions equal to 3.3 billion tons. In the world ranking, after China and the United States, there is food waste. Climate change, related to CO2 emissions, also affects the problem because it reduces agricultural productivity and consequently the global food availability. A real vicious circle: on the one hand food is wasted, which produces greenhouse gases, which undermines the same food productivity, decreasing food production.

In Italy

According to the latest Food Sustainability Index, the index created by the Barilla Foundation in collaboration with The Economist Intelligence Unit, per capita annual waste in Italy is around 65 kg, more than the European average (58 kg). In economic terms, if we consider the entire supply chain, waste amounts to 10 billion euros, which for each family is equivalent to 260 euros per year, equal to 8% of the average expenditure on food.  To end up in the trash bin are mainly fresh products such as dairy products for 35%, bread for 19%, and fruits and vegetables for 16%.

However, in 2020 there was a reversal of the trend, also due to the change in lifestyle as a result of the restrictions imposed by the health emergency, smart working, but also a new relationship with food and cooking: for the first time the data monitored in the homes of Italians record a decrease in waste of about 25%.  Food and health are the new binomial of Italians: 7 Italians out of 10 (66%) believe there is a precise connection between food waste, environmental and human health.

Good practices

Avoiding throwing away unsold food and offering it at cheaper prices is one of the best known and most widespread good practices in the Western world, thanks to technological support, such as the case of the Too Good To Go app. Born in Denmark in 2015 with the commitment to raise awareness of the issues inherent to food waste, the app has been active in Italy since March 2019 and allows merchants and restaurateurs to put unsold food on sale at reduced prices at the end of the day and consumers to buy "Magic Box" with a surprise selection of fresh products and dishes that cannot be put back on sale the next day, at a third of the sale price.

Another good practice is to choose "imperfect" products, i.e. fruits and vegetables discarded by traditional distribution channels because they do not conform to standard sizes or have some flaw in appearance. This is the case of Babaco Market, a subscription to receive imperfect fruits and vegetables with savings of up to 30% compared to traditional store sales.

Comprehensive training is also fundamental to raise awareness among consumers of all ages on the issue of food waste. 

Last Minute Market is an accredited spin-off company of the University of Bologna that was founded in 1998 as a research coordinated by Prof. Andrea Segrè, whom we mentioned earlier. Since 2019 it has been a social enterprise. In addition to the part of research and data analysis to know the causes of losses, how much is wasted and what are the economic and environmental repercussions, it deals with wide-ranging training, intervening with educational projects in schools and companies, with conferences and seminars or organizing dinners and lunches with products actually recovered.

How Packstyle flexible packaging helps reduce food waste

As trivial as it may seem, paying closer attention to the information on packaging also helps prevent and reduce food waste.

"Among the challenges that 2020 has put before us has been contingent outlets and shopping less frequently. It's not surprising that consumers are paying more and more attention to the information on packaging, starting with the information on shelf life," said CONAI President Luca Ruini.

The report of Waste Watcher International Observatory on Food and Sustainability of last year, shows that 70% of respondents are willing to pay more for a packaging that allows to preserve the product longer, highlighting how packaging is not perceived as a simple layer to be removed after purchase, but has an important role as a tool to reduce waste.

Packstyle packaging, certified for contact with food, thanks to digital printing allows you to completely customize your packaging, not only in terms of size or type of envelope, but especially from a graphic point of view, allowing the manufacturer to affix all the information necessary for the sale of the product.

Furthermore, the Packstyle multi-graphic service makes it easier for producers because it allows them to manage envelopes of the same size and format with different graphics and information within the same order. This service makes it possible to always have packaging with precise and up-to-date information.

The method of preservation is compulsory, but there are some tricks to ensure that this information is not overshadowed, such as clearly visible graphics and correctly placed on the envelopes. In this regard, we recommend reading our blog article The (common) mistakes to avoid when designing your packaging .

The latest trends in the field of packaging go in the direction of smart packaging, technological solutions that improve supply chain management, product quality and consumer experience. Thanks to digital printing, it is possible to affix on the Packstyle packaging QRcode to introduce an added value for the consumer and expand the communication offer from a technical or more emotional point of view. On this topic you can find more information on our blog The new frontier of packaging? is Smart.

The materials of Packstyle envelopes have an EVOH barrier which prevents external agents, such as humidity and oxygen, from penetrating inside and deteriorating the product. In addition, they are resistant pouches that, once opened, do not require the contents to be moved to another container. Thanks to the hermetic zipper closure, the food inside can be consumed in several times, preserving it perfect.

Packstyle pouches are also suitable for vacuum and protected-atmosphere storage. By removing atmospheric gases from the packaging, they can be replaced with a predetermined gas mixture, designed to prolong the stability of food products and, consequently, their shelf life.

We at Packstyle believe in this and our packaging is designed so that the product inside is kept good for as long as possible, without waste.