Packaging ? A Solution to Food Security

Every year, a third of the worldï¾Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Æ’??s food production, around 1.3 billion tons is lost due to wastage and damage. Around 670 million tons are from developed regions, while the developing regions contribute 630 million tons. According to a recent study done by the FAO, the amount of food that is wasted by consumers in the developed regions every year is equal to the amount of food produced by Sub Saharan Africa. The per capita food wastage by consumers alone in developed regions ranges 95-125 kg/year, while it is only 6-11kg/year in SubSaharan Africa and South and Southeast Asia. More than 40% of the wastage in the developing regions occurs during the post-harvest and processing period. They are mainly due to the lack of adequate infrastructure in terms of storage facilities and distribution channels. In the developed regions the scenario is quite the opposite. Nearly 40% of the wastage is at the consumer level. When compared to the prices in April 2011 the prices of food was 36% higher in April 2012. Prices of wheat, maize and soya have risen to similar levels that prevailed in 2008 during the economic crisis.?? According to a World Bank report, rising food prices had pushed 44 million more people into extreme poverty and that an additional 10 million people could soon fall below the $1.25 a day extreme poverty line.