Professor Thia Hennessy:

I thank Senator Lombard for the questions. The data I have reviewed would support his point that 8% to 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions are associated with food that is wasted. From a climate action perspective, it seems like an obvious thing to tackle. I agree with the Senator that it is not getting the same attention, here or at the EU level, as other aspects of climate change action at the agriculture and food level. He asked where the food waste is occurring. The EPA has done some significant research on this and has found that households are the biggest wasters of food. They are followed by the manufacturing and processing sectors, which account for approximately 28%. Restaurants, food services and retail account from 25% while only 7% occurs at the primary level.

On the actions growers can take, they are already quite efficient at getting product through to further points in the supply chain. Within the Food Vision report, we looked at some specific case studies. We looked at a potato growing company in County Meath where previously there had been waste associated with product that was not being accepted by its point of sale. It invested in peeling and chipping machinery and produced chips. It then invested in equipment to extract starch from the peel, adding more value in that way. When it comes to food waste, not all waste is equal in terms of how we make use of it. There is a hierarchy. Having waste consumed directly by consumers offers the highest value and the hierarchy goes down all the way to composting. Waste may be used for other food ingredients or animal feed and so on with composting being the lowest-value method of dealing with food waste.

Looking at where waste is occurring, there is obviously opportunity for investment in manufacturing and processing. There are also opportunities in the restaurant, food sector and retail group. The Senator will be familiar with the work of FoodCloud, which focuses on food redistribution. It is at that part of the supply chain that it can have an impact. Globally, technology is also being used quite a lot to deal with food waste at this part of the supply chain by making consumers aware of products that are available for collection or purchase at a discounted price and so on. Education at the household level is really important. We also see many food businesses investing in research into food packaging because packaging that extends shelf life can extend the period in which the consumer can make use of the product. However, such packaging is often not compostable but made of single-use plastic. The issue of minimising food waste while also minimising packaging has proved to be a tricky one.

The Senator asked what we can do. Within Food Vision 2030, we made a number of recommendations. These include the implementation of the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications' waste action plan, the development of a national waste prevention roadmap, which now exists, and further research into the extent of food loss at the primary stage, although I again emphasise that this is already the part that is probably most efficient. Much of the roadmap is about developing methodologies to record where food waste is occurring and developing actions to tackle the issue at those points. I will now pass over to Professor O'Riordan.