International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste

The Australasian Institute of Packaging (AIP) will once again observe the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste on 29 September.

Coordinated by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste is designed to make a clear call to action for both the public and private sectors to prioritise actions and move ahead with innovation to reduce food loss and waste.

For over eight years, the AIP has driven discussions about the true role that packaging plays in minimising food loss and waste. AIP Executive Director, Nerida Kelton said the organisation is proud of the development of the Save Food Packaging design guidelines, in partnership with End Food Waste Australia and RMIT University. These guidelines are now included in the first Global Position paper on the Paradox between Food & Packaging Waste developed by UNIDO and Wageningen University.

“The most recent milestone for the AIP is that the Save Food Packaging design guidelines are now built into FSSC22000 V7 which means that 40,000 food and feed companies will have to review product and packaging design as a part of the safety management standard. The work with FSSC is the impetus for change that is needed for food companies to really understand the true role that packaging plays.” Kelton said.

Prof Pierre Pienaar, Education Director, AIP and Immediate Past President, WPO said: “Observing the International Day of Food Waste is a vital reminder that combating food loss requires intentional, collaborative action from paddock to plate. For the wider industry and the Australasian Institute of Packaging (AIP) community, this day underscores our shared responsibility to protect precious environmental and economic resources.

“By embedding smart packaging design strategies, from advanced barrier protection to intuitive portion control and clear consumer communication, directly into the product development process, we can actively engineer waste-reduction solutions and drive meaningful, long-term change.”

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