Focus area: B

Food and food waste

Food and food waste are indicators of the efficiency of agricultural production on a farm. The links of the food supply chain are evaluated with respect to the consumption production ratio. Another element of measurement is represented by the cultural diversity of consumption.

Food as a cultural brand: its choice also determines its social status. But how and how much to produce? It is necessary to give concrete technical answers to the inequalities and contradictions for the construction of a democratic society and a development perspective.

Goal 8
Encouraging lasting, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all

Target 8.4
Progressively improve, by 2030, global efficiency in consumption and in the production of resources and attempt to disconnect economic growth from environmental degradation, in accordance with the ten-year framework of programs relating to production and sustainable consumption, with the most developed countries in first line

Goal 12
Guaranteeing sustainable production and consumption patterns

Target 12.2
Achieve sustainable management and efficient use of natural resource
Target 12.3
Halve global per capita food waste at the retail and consumer level and reduce food losses during production and supply chains, including post-harvest losses
Target 12.8
Ensure that all people, in every part of the world, have the relevant information and the right awareness of sustainable development and a lifestyle in harmony with nature

Goal 15
Protect, restore and promote a sustainable use of the terrestrial ecosystem

Target 15.9
Integrate the principles of ecosystem and biodiversity into national and local projects, in development processes and strategies and reports for poverty reduction

Action 2

On the one hand, statistics show the growth in the number of those suffering from hunger and to this contribute to the increase in food prices, the decrease in the economic resources of the poorest populations, the limited access to the market and food. On the other hand, it is confirmed that the land can sufficiently feed all its inhabitants. In fact, although in some regions low levels of food production remain, globally this production is sufficient to satisfy both the demand for current food and that expected in the future.

At the same time, these data indicate the absence of a cause-effect relationship between population growth and hunger, and this is further proven by the deplorable destruction of foodstuffs as a function of economic profit.

Hunger does not depend so much on material scarcity, but rather on the scarcity of social resources, the most important of which is of an institutional nature. That is, there is a lack of economic institutions able to guarantee access to regular and adequate food, and to meet the needs connected with primary needs and with the emergencies of real food crises.

In this context, the management of food production flows becomes crucial in supporting or not supporting the social development of producing populations.

It is therefore clear that “Designing Food” is needed.

By design we mean the set of planning and planning phases of activities that will lead to an expected result, which can be totally, partially or even missed.

Almost all human activities resort, more or less effectively, to planning through the most appropriate means, strategies and actions to achieve certain goals.

Specifically, “designing food” means organizing and rationalizing a supply chain activity.

In a process of supply chain the stakeholders operate, the various economic agents, who intervene directly or indirectly. The expected result is to satisfy consumers’ food needs in terms of nutritional needs, food quality and food safety, in a context of environmental sustainability and protection of social rights.

By virtue of these expectations, designing food is really complex and planning the food chain is a “work” in constant transformation given the increasingly numerous aspects that design must necessarily involve. In fact, planning choices cannot be ignored from considering some fundamental aspects such as safety, animal health and welfare, plant protection, food production and distribution, innovation in the food sector.

Food design also means protecting consumers from the risks associated with food, from the field to the farm and from the farm to the table.

The design machine is operated on the basis of the needs and demands of consumers, through which the supply chain is climbed upstream and the design strategies are set. To this end, the collection of data on food consumption trends and habits is crucial to better understand what is expected to be found on the table and better to guide the design choices.

Activable Pilot Projects

Pilot Projects can concern one or more targets of the objectives identified as well as one or more general indicators. For the purposes of verification and measurability and related accounting in the definition of the executive planning, specific indicators will be identified among those defined in the Global Indicator Framework 2019 of the SDG. The pilot projects that can be activated in Action B.2 are the following:

– Production planning and food requirements

– Food quality and production chains

– Food production flows and social development

– New consumers and changes in agricultural production

– Waste and energy