October 11, 2023
ZeroMission's Maria King and Erik Schnizler visited the Food Days and tell us about it here.
During the Food Days, where ZeroMission participated, a new industry initiative called "The Swedish handshake for a sustainable food chain" was launched. It includes 15 companies in the food industry, which in collaboration with WWF have joined forces to reduce their climate footprint along the entire value chain in order to contribute to the Paris Agreement's 1.5 degree target.
Work has been done to set common goals that outline the way forward. This has resulted in the roadmap called "The Swedish handshake for a sustainable food chain".
The companies are Ica, Coop, Axfood, Martin & Servera, Menigo, Arla, HK Scan, LantmÀnnen, Orkla, Unilever, Fazer, Findus, Löfbergs, Polarbröd and PÄgen. The roadmap takes a holistic approach to sustainability and includes core sustainability targets (for climate, biodiversity, resource efficiency and social responsibility), targets for more sustainable production and targets for more sustainable supply.
All member companies' CEOs have signed the roadmap and are committed to working in accordance with it.
Reducing the climate footprint will be achieved through energy efficiency measures, fossil-free energy and fossil-free transport, but also by reducing the climate impact of food production and helping consumers to choose more climate-smart food.
The Roadmap also sets targets to reduce negative impacts on biodiversity on land, at sea and in freshwater by 2030, and to help protect and restore it. This will be done, among other things, by ensuring that no raw materials in the companies' value chains come from areas that have been deforested or land converted after 2020. Member companies will also work to increase biodiversity along the entire value chain in close cooperation with suppliers.
According to the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), emissions from the food sector account for around 20-30% of global emissions, so what we eat matters a lot. For example, one kilogram of beef produces 28 tons of CO2 emissions compared to the same amount of pork which produces 4.4 tons of CO2 and beans only 0.8 tons of CO2 (source: Carboncloud).
This is where individuals, as well as the public sector and businesses, have an opportunity to contribute to reducing emissions. It may even be the lowest hanging fruit when it comes to reducing climate emissions.
What we eat is often more important than how far the food has traveled. So it's largely about making conscious choices about what we put on our plates. Swapping meat and dairy for more plant-based products is an effective way to reduce the carbon footprint of your food. It is also in line with the Nordic Nutrition Recommendations 2023, the first time the recommendations also take climate into account in their recommendations, advocating a more plant-based diet, more fish and less meat on the plate.
Food waste is another crucial factor. FOA, the UN agency for agriculture, forestry and fisheries, estimates that about one third of all food produced for human consumption is thrown away or lost. This is of course crazy! Food waste occurs throughout the food chain, but according to the Swedish National Food Agency, most of it occurs in households.
Perhaps the Swedish Handshake for a Sustainable Food Chain will help us make a difference, both in terms of reducing food waste and making more sustainable choices at the table. It will be interesting to follow this initiative going forward.
