interpack Takes Stand Against Food Waste

Globally, around 14% of food worth approximately $ 400 billion goes to waste on the way from harvesting to retail (FAO, 2019). At the same time, another 17% are wasted at the retail and end consumer levels (UNEP, 2021). Reducing these numbers is the goal of the SAVE FOOD Initiative, which was founded in 2011 by Messe Düsseldorf, interpack, and the World Food Organization FAO. The initiative brings together international organizations, food producers, and packaging manufacturers.

At the SAVE FOOD booth, information will be available about the initiative. In addition, the SAVE FOOD Highlight Route will showcase innovations in this area and the Product Safety theme day will focus on related results from studies as well as best practices.

The SAVE FOOD Highlight Route

A tour through the hall, full of technologies against waste and loss: Several interpack exhibitors are members of the SAVE FOOD Initiative. The SAVE FOOD Highlight Route will offer visitors an overview of current projects and products by participating members. Topics will include how to minimize food losses during the filling process, how to achieve a reliable product inspection and high quality sealing, or how to avoid undesired contaminations. Also on display will be highly sensitive detectors of foreign bodies for all critical control points of the production process to prevent recalls and false ejections, as well as packaging solutions and machinery for extending the shelf life of food. Among the participating exhibitors will be IMA Industria Macchine Automatiche, Syntegon Technology, MULTIVAC, Ishida Europe, Theegarten-Pactec, Gerhard Schubert, FAWEMA, ULMA Packaging, Mettler-Toledo Garvens, ROTZINGER, and Sealpac.

Research project with the BAU University 

Leftover materials from food production are generally disposed of. At the same time, there is an increasing demand for alternatives to plastic packaging. One sustainable option is to produce bio-based and compostable packaging from waste food or by-products of the food industry. The SAVE FOOD Initiative is working on this idea together with Bahçeşehir University (BAU) in Istanbul.

Over the past few months, a total of 28 students have tested various approaches. Two projects outdid the others. A kombucha scoby bio-wrap made of waste oranges and tea leaves for packaging dry foods has great potential and good chances to be put to practical use. Another team implemented the idea of packaging strawberries under a protective atmosphere using integrated nano wrap made from PLA and rice husks. The results will be presented by the university and the students.

Product safety theme day

Product safety is a core function of packaging and one of four topics at interpack. The industry is already making an important contribution to reducing food waste. Information about current projects and innovations will be available at the theme day for product safety in the lecture forum “Spotlight Talks & Trends”. It will include a lecture by the FAO in Europe and Central Asia about cooperations to fight food loss and waste as well as an overview of best practices in the packaging industry by the WPO (World Packaging Organization). Fascinating innovations will also be presented by Ishida Europe Limited, Pilz and Mettler-Toledo.