Multidisciplinary approach needed to address global food waste challenge

The Government has today launched its new Resources and waste strategy, ‘Our waste, our resources: a strategy for England’. Every year, in the UK, an estimated 10 million tonnes of food and drink are wasted post-farm gate annually, worth around £20 billion, according to the strategy.

Commenting on the Government’s Resources and waste strategy, Professor Leon A. Terry, Director of Environment and Agrifood at Cranfield University, said: “The strategy is a very welcome step in the UK playing its part in tackling this worldwide problem.

“One of the key issues is the lack of knowledge about when, where, and why food waste happens. A multidisciplinary approach is crucial to answer these questions and tackle this global challenge.  We need to focus on improving human capital and skills to offer and create solutions.

“In the Plant Science Laboratory at Cranfield University, we work toward minimising food loss and waste by understanding and controlling the fundamental biological responses of fruit and vegetables to supply chain systems.”

Cranfield University has one of the largest and best-equipped laboratories for postharvest research in the world.

About Cranfield University

Cranfield University is a specialist postgraduate university that is a global leader for education and transformational research in technology and management.