In March, leading figures from the poultry industry gathered for a webinar titled 'What if...?', part of an initiative by Poultry Business in collaboration with the British Poultry Council and sponsored by Elanco, to tackle the pressing issue of food waste. The discussion was facilitated by Richard Griffiths, chief executive of the British Poultry Council, and featured prominent speakers including Ali Gourley from FareShare, Emily Don of Avara Foods, and Patrick Hanna, a consultant from the Sustainable Restaurant Association (SRA).

Emily Don opened the session by addressing the significant financial and sustainability impacts of food waste on Avara Foods. She highlighted “missed opportunities” throughout the production chain and pointed out how various stages from farming to consumer habits lead to food loss. Examples cited included disease on farms, factory rejections, off-spec products, and consumer behaviour such as multibuy offers which contribute to surplus food in households. Don noted, “If a product is being wasted on the shelf or in a consumer’s home, it has already amassed a carbon footprint,” emphasising the importance of addressing waste as an essential component of sustainability. She pointed out that reducing food waste presents an opportunity for improvement, stating, “It feels like the low-hanging fruit.”

Patrick Hanna contributed to the conversation by revealing concerning statistics regarding food waste in the restaurant sector, where an estimated 1.1 million tonnes are wasted annually, costing around £3.2 billion. He detailed that 34% of this waste comes from uneaten food left on diners' plates, while 45% is preparation waste due to discarded food trimmings. Hanna called attention to spoilage waste resulting from poor inventory management and overordering. He argued for a shift in the restaurant industry's expectation for perfection in meat products, asserting that this leads to a high level of rejection. However, he noted a growing trend among restaurants to innovate by incorporating different cuts and types of poultry into their menus, thereby reducing waste.

The financial implications of food waste were a recurring theme throughout the discussion. Don and Hanna both highlighted a need for balancing profitability with sustainability. Don remarked on the current focus within the poultry industry on waste reduction due to narrow profit margins, suggesting that optimising waste management could yield significant social, financial, and environmental benefits. “The great thing about chicken is it’s an affordable and accessible protein that’s healthy for the consumer,” she stated, highlighting that initiatives to reduce food waste might not incur additional costs but instead could provide cost savings.

Ali Gourley, representing FareShare, discussed the challenges faced in the redistribution of food, noting that the charity is currently unable to onboard many charities due to insufficient food supplies despite excessive surplus food in the market. He urged the government to implement incentives for surplus food redistribution, such as tax breaks. Gourley pointed out, “Meat and poultry is the area where FareShare most struggles to get volumes,” and stressed that working with charities can provide companies with dual benefits of improving corporate social responsibility and enhancing employee morale.#

The conversation also touched on the barriers to gathering accurate data on food waste across the industry. Don mentioned that Avara Foods is transitioning from a waste-management to a waste-prevention mindset, although the challenge of acquiring good data remains pivotal in identifying waste hotspots within the supply chain. Hanna highlighted the potential of forthcoming legislation, such as the Simpler Recycling regulations, to push the restaurant sector towards better waste management practices through mandatory data collection.

As this discussion concluded, it became clear that while the poultry industry faces myriad pressures and challenges related to food waste and sustainability, the opportunities for innovation and collaboration remain significant. With a growing awareness of the financial impact of waste and impending legislative requirements, the industry appears poised to take proactive steps towards addressing these pressing issues.