Mapping the Food Journey

Overview

Every item we eat has a story, a journey it undertook from being a raw product to reaching our plates.

By understanding this journey,
we gain insight into the complexities of food production and the stages where food loss and waste occur.

Farming

This is where our food’s journey begins. Farms can be small and family-owned or massive industrial-scale operations.

At the farming stage, a considerable amount of food can be lost even before it reaches our plates. Pests can decimate entire fields in a short period. Diseases can render crops inedible or affect their growth adversely.

Extreme weather events can damage crops, making them unsuitable for harvest. Sometimes, crops that don’t meet the aesthetic standards of retailers might be left unharvested, leading to additional wastage.

Quality Control

The quality control process in the food industry systematically evaluates food products for safety, compliance, and quality standards. This involves:

Inspection: Checking raw materials and finished products for defects or deviations from desired standards.
Testing: Conducting microbiological, chemical, and physical tests to verify product safety and quality.
Monitoring: Continuously observing production processes and storage conditions to ensure they adhere to established protocols.

Challenges include:

Fresh produce and other perishable items require careful handling and rapid processing to prevent spoilage.
Meeting diverse and stringent food safety regulations across different markets adds complexity.
Coordinating transportation, storage, and distribution to maintain product integrity is crucial.
Producing more than market demand can lead to significant waste.
Inadequate packaging can lead to product damage and waste, while over-packaging can be unsustainable.

Transportation

The transportation stage in the food supply chain involves moving food products from where they are produced or processed to where they will be sold or consumed. This can include transportation:

From farms to processing facilities.
From processors to distribution centres or warehouses.
From distribution centres to retail outlets, restaurants, or directly to consumers.

Efficiency and care during transportation are crucial to prevent food spoilage and damage. This involves:

Using appropriate vehicles (refrigerated trucks for perishable goods).
Ensuring smooth and timely logistics to minimise transit time.
Protecting food from contamination and extreme temperatures.

Challenges in transportation can lead to food loss, especially for perishable items, due to delays, inadequate infrastructure, or improper handling.

Retail

The retail stage is where food products are displayed and sold to consumers, encompassing supermarkets, local markets, and online platforms. Retailers play a crucial role in food choices and waste reduction through:

Stock management to reduce over-ordering and spoilage.
Offering discounts on near-expiry items to encourage purchase.
Educating consumers about food preservation and waste reduction.

Challenges at this stage include managing perishable goods, responding to consumer demand for aesthetic perfection, and the environmental impact of packaging.

What does the journey look like for your favourite produce?

Scroll down for instructions on mapping it’s journey.

Mapping the Food Journey Activity

Step 1: Choose a Food Item

Begin by selecting a food item you are curious about. It could be something common like an apple or something more exotic like quinoa.

Step 2: Research its Journey

Research the life cycle of your chosen food item. Find out where it’s typically grown, how it’s harvested, processed, transported, and finally, how it reaches your local store or market.

Step 3: Draw or Jot Down Each Stage

Based on your research, draw a visual representation of each stage of the food’s journey or jot down the key steps in a list. Make sure to include all the stops it makes from the farm to your table.

Reminder: While mapping out the journey, pay special attention to areas where wastage can happen. This might include points where the food is stored, sorted, or transported. Highlight these areas and make a note of why wastage might occur there.

How can we measure food loss and waste?

By mapping out our food’s journey, we’ve taken a step closer to understanding the intricacies of our food system. With this knowledge, we can make informed choices that reduce waste and champion sustainability. “The State of Food and Agriculture” was released in 2019. This report focuses heavily on food loss and waste, which is a critical area of concern. Watch the interview with Maximo Toretto, the Assistant Director-General at the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), to further understand the gravity of food loss and waste, the economic and environmental implications, and the actionable steps required at various levels – from policymakers to consumers.

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