Sustainability needs to be a comprehensive
approach for food industries, according to
Dr Richard Baines.
Image: iStockphoto
Sustainable practices for food industries require a top to bottom approach, from initial production to final consumption, according to a food expert at a recent seminar.
Speaking at Curtin University’s Australian Sustainable Development Institute “Conversation Series: How sustainable and secure are agric-food supply systems?” Dr Richard Baines from the UK’s Royal Agricultural College urged businesses to address a range of issues from packaging to social responsibility in order to ensure the sustainability of the industry.
Dr Baines said there are a range of issues that need to be addressed for food consumption and production practices to be more environmentally sustainable.
“In the UK, farming is the largest contributor to green house gas emissions and transportation of food is a serious concern also. So that alone suggests we need to think all the way through the industry, from the initial farming practices to how we get the food home.
“The crop production challenges themselves begin with the soil, water and biodiversity challenges and continue all the way through the various stages of industry to the final consumption, which itself raises issues of around the energy and waste production that occurs in the home.”
Dr Baines said a key area of concern is sustainable packaging practices, however he warned simply minimising packaging may not be the answer.
“There are reasons why we need packaging, such as hygiene as well as transportation and storage of the goods that we have to be aware of. The question is, are our innovations in packaging foods going to create a whole new problems we have not considered?
“The functionality of some products can be at risk. If shipped in a more ‘sustainable’ way, with minimal packaging, problems can occur. For example, if it is difficult for retailers to store and display items.
“We need to take a risk assessment approach and consider the various factors that will produce the best practice.”
Dr Baines is a principal lecturer in Management Systems for Food Safety and Environment at the Royal Agricultural College in the United Kingdom. His research interests mainly focus on the management of food safety and quality for agricultural production in response to legislation, the food chain and consumers.
Dr Baines stressed the need for an industry standard that recognized the various aspects of a sustainable practice. He said establishing recognisable standards for customers would benefit business in the long run.
“They really are focused primarily on delivering food safety to protect the large food companies, they then start to address food quality and some then have the capacity to add on the sustainability criteria of environmental sustainability and social sustainability.
“Meeting recognised standards of food practices will effectively communicate to customers and the general market the integrity of your food business. If you are an export-orientated business than this is critical for expanding into markets such as Japan or Europe.”
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