On October 16, a session on food waste was held at the Royal Academy of Pharmacy of Catalonia with the participation of the Catalan Association of Food Sciences (ACCA).
The session, which coincided with World Food Day, was entitled: "Food waste: a central issue in the 2030 global agenda".
The moderation was in charge of the academic Ms. Montse Rivero, president of the ACCA, who gave an introduction on food waste, with special emphasis on the reasons why this topic is important to discuss in the pharmaceutical community and on the importance these professionals have in his struggle.
In a round table format, there were three presentations. The first was in charge of Mrs. Montserrat Banqué Molas, doctor specializing in nutrition and volunteer for Nutrition Without Borders, who focused on the relationship between food waste and our health. In addition, he highlighted that waste contributes 10% to climate change, therefore, it has an impact on the health of the planet and this on human health. A review was made of public health indicators that are exacerbated by climate change, of which waste is one of the causes we can all influence. The conclusion is clear, we already have the consequences of climate change and not fighting it greatly worsens the prognosis for humanity. For example, additional deaths related to climate change between 2030 and 2050 are projected to be 250,000 people each year.
From an economic point of view, Mr. Eduard Arruga Valeri, economist and vice-president of the Agri-Food Commission of the College of Economists of Catalonia and former president of the Food Bank of Barcelona, emphasized that the losses, both for society and the environment and for economies, are significant. By 2022, an alarming 19% of all food at the retail or consumption stage (1.052 million tonnes) was wasted. He also reviewed the economic and environmental costs and the ecological footprint that waste represents for Catalonia.
Finally, the event was closed by Mrs. Glòria Cugat, Deputy Director General of Transfer and Agri-Food Innovation, General Directorate of Agri-Food Companies, Quality and Gastronomy, of the Department of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food of the Generalitat de Catalunya. The speaker explained the progress being made in the fight against food waste, of which Catalonia is a pioneer with a 2020 law that has a spirit of prevention and that has worked with all the sectors involved in the food chain. The situation and actions of the five major areas of this struggle encompassed in "the Strategy we take advantage of food" were detailed: knowledge, awareness, promotion of prevention activities, regulation and co-governance.
The session ended with the participation of all the people present and the importance of pharmacists in the fight against food waste was reinforced.
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