Today (September 29) is the inaugural International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste, organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the UN as a call to action for the public and private sectors to make food loss and waste and food security—especially for the most vulnerable—a priority. Here’s how biotech can help.
“This past year laid bare the many cracks in our global food system,”explains BIO’s Cornelia Poku in a new blog post, as people were going hungry while food went to waste.
What’s biotech got to do with it? Biotechnology is delivering powerful tools to help reduce food loss and waste at all points along the food production and supply chain.
To help farmers deal with climate change causing unpredictable weather and more pests and disease,genetic modification is making crops resistant and resilient to these factors, which can improve crop yields and reduce greenhouse gasses, Cornelia explains.
Biotech is also helping to reduce food waste by consumers. Okanagen has developed the Arctic Apple, which doesn’t brown when bitten, sliced, or bruised, making it “easy to tell when an apple is actually spoiled and not just reacting to oxygen.” Similarly, Simplot has developed a potato that is less likely to brown, which “could make a dent in the nearly 1.4 billion pounds of potatoes that are wasted annually.”
We have the technology to combat food loss and waste—now, we need policy. Policy and public opinion must catch up with the science and help bring these safe, nutritious foods to the market. Learn more about food and farm innovation.
So, think twice before tossing that produce in the back of your fridge—and discover other ways you can take action on food loss and waste at Think.Save.Eat.
