news 15 Jul 2025

Food Industry Trends: Food Safety and Waste Reduction Go Hand in Hand

At this year’s Food Safety Innovation (FSI) Conference, the team at Food Safety Excellence was proud to contribute to setting the tone for one of the most critical discussions shaping the future of the global food industry — the growing alignment between food safety and waste reduction.

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Katie Satterthwaite, Director at Food Safety Excellence, delivered a keynote presentation titled “Setting the Scene: Why Today’s Food Industry Has Brought the Issues of Food Safety and Waste Reduction Onto the Same Page.” Drawing on the organisation’s extensive experience as a leading food safety audit body and consultancy, the presentation provided valuable insights into how waste reduction initiatives can, and must, work hand in hand with food safety priorities.

Retailer & Consumer-Driven Waste Reduction

The presentation highlighted how, over the last decade, waste reduction has become a dominant conversation within the food sector – driven largely by retailers and consumers demanding change.

The initial focus, as discussed, was on plastic reduction. The industry has seen major UK retailers make bold commitments, from Marks & Spencer’s pledge to remove 1 billion units of plastic packaging by 2027 to other retailers’ plans to completely eliminate plastic packaging from own-brand products.

While not all of these ambitious targets have been met as initially planned, the industry has achieved significant milestones through innovation, such as refill stations for dry goods and beverages – proving that rethinking packaging and consumption models is both possible and effective.

Beyond Plastic: Food Waste Under the Spotlight

The conversation has since expanded to food waste itself, an area where both manufacturers and retailers have made notable strides. The presentation referenced successful schemes such as:

Charitable food donations through organisations like FareShare.
Packaging innovations that extend product shelf life.
Cold chain improvements that keep food fresher for longer.

Crucially, the session emphasised that waste reduction is not only an environmental imperative but also a sound business decision. Research from FareShare indicates that for every £1 invested in a food waste reduction initiative, the average company saw a £14 pay back, with some reporting significantly higher figures.

The Overlooked Connection: Food Safety & Waste

The core message of the presentation was clear: food safety and waste reduction are not separate challenges. They are intrinsically linked.

Using examples from the dairy supply chain, the presentation demonstrated how broader definitions of waste – drawn from the 10 wastes of Lean Principles – can expose hidden risks to food safety. These include:

Defects Efforts, caused by rework, scrap and incorrect information
Overproduction – production that is more than needed or before it is needed
Waiting – wasted time waiting for the next step in a process
Non-utilised talent – under-utilising people’s talents, skills and knowledge
Transportation – unnecessary movements of products and materials
Inventory – excess products and materials being processed
Motion – unnecessary movements by people (e.g. walking)
Extra-processing – more work or higher quality than is required by the customer

Reducing these inefficiencies not only boosts productivity but also creates safer products and more resilient operations – reducing product recall.

The Ultimate Waste: Product Loss Due to Safety Failures

One of the most powerful takeaways was the reminder that the ultimate form of waste occurs when products, despite the resources, energy, and time invested, are withdrawn from shelves due to food safety failures.

This outcome is not inevitable. Through process design, operational efficiency, and workforce engagement, businesses can proactively reduce both waste and safety risks.

An Industry Call to Action

As the presentation concluded, Katie called on all industry professionals to critically assess their operations and ask:

What types of waste – visible and hidden – exist within the business?
How do these inefficiencies impact food safety?
How can operational improvements deliver both environmental and safety benefits?

The FSI Conference 2025 was not simply a forum for discussion, but a platform for actionable change. The speakers, panel discussions, and interactive sessions were carefully curated to help businesses turn insights into measurable improvements.

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Food Safety Excellence: Driving Best Practice Across the Industry

As a trusted partner to food manufacturers worldwide, Food Safety Excellence provide expert auditing, training and consultancy services to support organisations in embedding food safety, operational efficiency, and sustainability at the heart of their operations.

To learn more about Food Safety Excellence and how they can support your business, please visit their website: Food Safety Excellence

last update 15 July 2025