India loses about INR 92,000 crore each year to food wastage, therefore, there is a tremendous commercial value to preventing such wastes. Today most of these wastes occurs in the supply and distribution stages, which is attributed to the lack of proper storage infrastructure.

According to the FAO, if food wastage were a country, it would be the third largest CO2 emitting country in the world after China and the USA.

Now from the perspective of food sustainability, India today is self-sufficient in terms of most cereals but not quite there for other essentials such as pulses. Also, we are yet to fully address the challenges related to fair access to food. Food wastage is an alarming issue not only in India but across many countries around the globe. City infrastructure and fast convenient culture are the major culprits for this. A 2018 report by CSR journal suggests that cumulatively India wastes as much food as the United Kingdom consumes.

Think about how in India our grand weddings, canteens, hotels, social & family functions & even households- we spew out SO MUCH FOOD! Mind you, I’m still talking about edible good quality food going into the dump.

Let’s remember that Agriculture is a resource intensive activity. It uses fresh water reserves, It cuts down forests for land and all processing machines are still powered by O&G industry.

-Even though the world produces enough food to feed the current population twice, billions of people are still malnourished.

Phew!!! I hope we all are able to see the inefficiencies in the current food operating systems. Sustainable food brands and businesses are working towards meeting these concerns, however we worry that without supportive regulations, implementation of good ideas will become challenging.

In 2015 The City of Milan developed the Milan Food Policy that acts on the urban food system with a multidimensional approach around five key priorities: food losses and waste reduction being one of the most important, this engaged several local actors such as research centers, private sector, non profit organizations, foundations.

The first step that Milan did was to assess the local food system by engaging food experts and stakeholders. A public consultation was launched, involving city departments, universities, businesses, and other organizations, which collaborated to establish the most effective strategy, ultimately selecting five interconnected priorities:

A recent report published by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation estimated that for every dollar spent on food, society pays the equivalent of two dollars in health, environmental, and economic costs. The ongoing work in Milan is a great example of policymakers realizing this potential and creating the important policy foundation to support this transformation.

Tune into the episode to learn more about how this policy is making a big difference through collective effort.

If our episodes have given you a EUREKA moment- then go ahead subscribe to Circular Business Podcast;

Follow our page- (Circular Business Podcast | The Circular Collective)