Food Waste Really Does Pile Up in Summer
The season for the freshest produce and frequent get-togethers is also a time of significant food waste, new research confirms. This week, tech company Divert, Inc. shared data indicating that food waste is nearly 30% higher in summer versus winter.
The higher rate of waste and loss is partly linked to the perishability of popular products this time of year. Divert’s analysts noted that grocers are sourcing more high-quality produce as crops are available and as demand spikes, but are often challenged to determine real-time forecasting and replenishments. Other factors include extreme summer heat that can impact product quality and greater demand due to occasions like Father’s Day, Fourth of July and other summertime gatherings.
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“While wasted food is truly a year-round crisis, our data indicates that the summer months are the leading source of food waste throughout the year. This increased volume stresses food donation networks since there is more perishable food to move, requiring backup infrastructure to be in place to accommodate these swings in material to avoid landfilling,” explained Ryan Begin, Divert’s CEO and co-founder. “Our findings demonstrate the importance of data in having visibility into this problem, but we must take it further to drive meaningful change. From here, we need real action and solution implementation with stakeholders across the industry - from consumers to retailers, food manufacturers to restaurants.”
Over the last few weeks and months, many grocers and partners have shared plans to curb food waste. On July 29, Walmart announced that it is teaming up with organic material recycling company Denali to roll out depackaging services aimed at improving the food waste recycling process at Walmart and Sam’s Club locations. Also in July, Giant Eagle opened a new zero-waste Market District store in Westfield, Ind., near Indianapolis. Meanwhile, to assistant independent grocers in their efforts to combat waste, Flashfood just added a new platform created for such smaller operations.
