The FAO defines this loss in the 'Footprint of food waste' project as 'the environmental accounting of food loss and waste', or as a decrease of edible food in the food chain during the initial production, postharvest, manufacture and distribution stages. This loss is essentially caused by the inefficient functioning of the supply chains.
According to the same document, waste is defined as discarded food suitable for consumption. According to this Organization, food waste can usually be avoided and is essentially related to poor purchasing and consumption habits, as well as the inadequate management and handling of food.
Other projects focus on locating losses in the first phases of food production and processing, and waste in the distribution and consumption phases, as reflected in the following chart from the EveryCrumbCounts. initiative.
Speaking about food waste involves taking on one of the biggest avoidable problems faced by humans. There are obvious reasons as to why the loss of produced food is undesirable, which can be viewed from three different perspectives:
Environmental perspective: food has a high ecological footprint, due to its direct impact on water and land consumption, greenhouse gas emissions and the loss of biodiversity.
Economic perspective: food waste also represents a problem from an economic perspective for consumers, communities, companies and governments, as it represents a lost or wasted resource expense. In addition, the expense derived from the subsequent waste treatment must also be considered.
Social perspective: food waste represents an obstacle in the goal of ending hunger and poverty in the world, as well as symbolising an unacceptable issue at an ethical level.
Within the framework of the Europe 2020 Strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth, the circular economy is key to achieving the goal of resource efficiency (ensuring that the economy grows while growing less dependent on the resources used and improving the environment).
Partiendo de este referente Pascual, ya en el año 2013 integró en su Plan Medioambiental ,líneas estratégicas que inciden entre otros aspectos directamente en la prevención del desperdicio de alimentos directamente. Actuaciones que van desde el aprovisionamiento sostenible a la gestión de residuos, siendo uno de los objetivos en este Plan la apuesta de la compañía por la prevención del desperdicio alimentario a través de distintas acciones e iniciativas internas y externas como:
Active participation in existing working groups on food waste in institutions such as the Spanish Federation of Food and Beverage Industries (FIAB) and the Association of Manufacturers and Distributors (AECOC).
Collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment, which is responsible for the 'More food, less waste' strategy, a programme for the reduction of food waste and the appreciation of discarded food.
Creation of an internal working group to deal with this issue, with which it has been able to:
Learn what the company does in this regard throughout its value chain.
Develop a strategy oriented towards preventing and cutting down on the loss of raw materials and/or products.
Cut down on food waste throughout the value chain.
Cut down on food waste throughout the value chain: The Company works to cut down on waste throughout its entire value chain, not only in the production phase. In this way, actions aimed at reducing food waste have been classified in the following stages:
Desarrollo de acciones formativas: En Pascual se organizan periódicamentelas acciones formativas dirigidas al equipo comercial se incluyen pautas y recomendaciones que deben tener en cuenta a la hora de asesorar a los clientes, no solo en la rotación del producto en su establecimiento, sino también en la adquisición de cantidades de producto ajustadas a sus previsiones de venta.
Auditorías de ingredientes o materias primas:En las auditorías de ingredientes o materias primas realizadas a proveedores externos, además del control del cumplimiento de las especificaciones pactadas, se realiza especial énfasis en que se consideren las buenas prácticas y recomendaciones elaboradas por Pascual en relación con la prevención del desperdicio de materia prima u otros insumos.
Donaciones de alimentos excedentarios:Pascual realiza donaciones de alimentos excedentarios aptos para su consumo. En ningún caso se realizan donaciones de productos que hayan superado su fecha de consumo preferente, con base en los acuerdos alcanzados con los bancos de alimentos de las ciudades en las que la compañía tiene presencia. Además, Pascual colabora en la clasificación de los productos con voluntarios de la propia empresa.
Campaña de sensibilización social “Movimiento Rap”: Pascual
El Movimiento RAP es una acción promovida por Pascual con el objetivo de sensibilizar a los consumidores sobre la necesidad de disminuir la cantidad de alimentos que diariamente se tiran a la basura, así como de informar de los principales beneficios que implica la reducción del desperdicio.
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