COV launches monitor food waste in meat sector

A new initiative was launched at the end of July: the periodic monitoring of food waste within the meat sector, a collaboration between COV, WUR and the Foundation Together Against Food Waste (STV). The previous survey of meat processing plants provided essential data that now serve as the basis for this monitor.

Over the next three years, COV will focus on improving the image of the Dutch meat industry. The goal is to set high social standards, share knowledge and adopt best practices. Central to this is addressing food waste, as resource efficiency promotes both cost efficiency and sustainability. Optimizing food residual value also contributes to this sustainability.

Together Against Food Waste

As a partner of STV, COV, along with other stakeholders, strives to put the Netherlands at the forefront of halving food waste. Recent research on meat processing companies, to which several COV members contributed, has resulted in valuable data on waste of animal by-products in our country.

Start of periodic monitor

This year there will be broader monitoring of food waste among all COV members. This is crucial for ongoing discussions with the government on sustainability and ethical business practices. This monitoring aims to obtain representative data. This provides companies with the insight to make strategic decisions based on cost and impact. It also contributes to carbon footprint calculations and other sustainability reporting, such as the upcoming CSRD reporting.

As for scheduling, WUR and participating companies will consult on data transfer in late August. The deadline for companies to submit their data digitally is Sept. 25. The WUR then plans to complete the data analysis in October, with the goal of sharing the results in November 2023.

Cov.nl