The UK grapples with staggering food waste, reaching 9.5 million tonnes annually, equating to a £19bn loss. WRAP reveals that 20-25% of purchased food goes to waste. Globally, the UN Environment Programme underscores that food waste, if a country, would rank as the third-largest greenhouse gas emitter.

Packaging, often overlooked, emerges as a pivotal player in curbing food waste. Shane Monkman, ex-head of procurement at Asda, asserts that packaging safeguards products throughout the supply chain, offering essential guidance on storage, consumption, and portioning. Despite industry innovations, the focus shifts towards packaging's end-of-life rather than its primary purpose of protecting products.

Robert Fell, Metal Packaging Manufacturers Association CEO, emphasizes packaging's role in extending product life, combating food waste, and contributing only 3.3% to packaging's carbon impact in food production. Matt Waine, former Premier Foods packaging manager, stresses the environmental benefits of avoided food waste, outweighing packaging costs. Innovations like optimized single-serve packs, QR codes, and high barrier materials have proven effective.

Efforts to create non-plastic food packaging face challenges, as plastic's barrier qualities are hard to replicate without multi-layer solutions complicating recycling. Reusable packaging gains traction, with trials by Uber Eats, Kaufland, McDonald’s, and Nestlé. Labels are seen as key to supporting correct use and reuse.

Fell notes ongoing innovation in mature formats, exemplifying metal cans' reduced weight and increased efficiency. He underscores the role of packaging in preserving food, preventing both waste and carbon emissions.

To convey packaging's pivotal role, education is crucial. Waine emphasizes the need for brands and retailers to communicate how their packaging choices reduce food waste and carbon footprints. Monkman calls for industry leaders to bravely inform consumers about the positive impact of their packaging choices. Clear standards are necessary to avoid greenwashing and provide consumers with meaningful information for decision-making.

Industry experts unanimously agree that packaging is instrumental in reducing food waste, urging the industry to prioritize this message over material-centric disputes. The challenges include avoiding distractions over material superiority and ensuring education without succumbing to greenwashing tactics.