Chaiwat Nantiruj, Eka Global's Group CEO, said that the entire world celebrated October 16 as the World Food Day to commemorate the founding of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The day was aimed to raise awareness on hunger and promote action for future of food, people and the planet, as well as promote cooperation to develop sustainable food industry.
In 2023, the World Food Day agenda is sustainable water management in the food supply chain. This action was initiated to protect water resources and ensure sufficient water supply in the long run. While global population is increasing, high-quality natural water resources become scarce. The Global Warming also affects the already limited water resources everywhere, including Thailand which will be one of the top countries suffering from drought.
Food waste, meanwhile, has caught the world's attention as one of the main cause of Global Warming. Methane from food waste is 27-30 times worse than carbon dioxide because methane is a major greenhouse gas and creates 8-10% of greenhouse gases. In addition, food waste has bad smell and is a major breeding ground of germ.
"Globally, food waste has become a more serious problem. Every year, more than 1,300 tons or about one third of food produced worldwide become waste. In Thailand, food waste accounts for over 60% of the total waste the country produces each year," said Chaiwat.
Chaiwat cited a report that one Thai would create as much as 254 kilograms of food waste per year. In 2022, food waste in Thailand was as high as 17 million tons. This alarming number is mainly caused by low quality food product, which accounts for more than 30%, followed by food excess.
"Thailand is known as the Kitchen of the World and Thai food is one of the best cuisine enjoyed by consumers worldwide. This is a plus. However, the dark side of this is the increasing food waste. Without effective plan to manage and control this, the problem will be worse and have serious impact on the environment. The best solution is cooperation from individual consumer in reducing and eliminating food waste. A very good and most effective beginning is responsible consumption -- plan well before buying and storing the food properly to extend shelf life."
Many consumers worldwide are paying attention to green packaging. Eka Global's "longevity packaging" provides an effective solution to this demand. Food hygiene, cleanliness, safety and environmental friendliness are among the key feature of Eka Global packaging which is 100% recyclable. More importantly, the packaging can help maintain food nutrition, tastes and color throughout the 2-year shelf life.
Eka Global's longevity packaging is made with high technology and can support different food manufacturing technology, such as retort, which increases business opportunities for SMEs. The packaging also comes in many different forms and modern designs that best address diverse needs of food producers.
Source: Make A Wealth Consulting
