New: Valstar ' the Sustainable Series'
As we announced at the beginning of December, Valstar has launched a video series on its sustainability efforts. Every month, we share a new video featuring one of our employees sitting down with a specialist to discuss a new sustainability topic. This month that topic is food waste, and the latest video is now available for viewing!
Every year, one-third of all food worldwide is wasted. We think this is an enormous amount, which is why we want to bring attention to this topic. In our video, Emma den Ouden, the CSR Manager of Best Fresh, and Toine Timmermans, the Director of “Together Against Food Waste,” sit down to discuss this subject, focusing on three important aspects: the difference between past and current food waste practices, the underlying “chain” associated with a product, and the issue of famine in relation to food waste.
Our steps in reducing food waste
Of course, it would be best not to waste any food at all. We know very well that our growers and suppliers passionately work to produce their vegetables every day. Unfortunately, this process also leads to the unnecessary consumption of packaging materials, storage space, labour, agricultural land, water, energy, and CO2. In response, we have been working hard over the past year to reduce our waste in these areas.
One of the first steps we took as part of this process was to measure our waste. Which products are wasted, how much waste is generated, and how can we improve these figures? By becoming aware of and paying attention to the exact number of kilogrammes wasted, we have been able to immediately make great strides in this area. We became a member of the “Food Waste Free United”, where we contribute to the goal of halving food waste in the Netherlands by 2030. We also closely collaborate with the “Fruit and Vegetable Brigade,” an organisation that collects and distributes fresh products for food banks located in the Netherlands.
The result? We halved our waste in 2020 compared to 2019 – a feat accomplished even with the corona crisis!
Take a quick look at our video and keep an eye on our upcoming social media where Toine will provide tips on how to reduce your own waste!>
> Read more about our food waste goals here.
“In the debate about the best way to combat climate change it becomes ever clearer that it’s about two things: We have to switch to different forms of protein consumption, but most importantly, we have to prevent food waste.” says Toine Timmermans, director of Food Waste Free United.
> Watch the first video of the series with our CEO Mart Valstar and director Edwin Beekman!
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