The Fresh Produce Consortium is inviting its membership to get involved in the government’s Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP) project being led by Cranfield University, which is developing detailed resource maps to quantify food waste and packaging waste through the fresh fruit and vegetable retail and wholesale supply chain.

The IGD is also involved and while WRAP has carried out research to estimate the amount of food waste in the home, there is a lack of data on how much is wasted in the supply chain before it reaches the consumer.

The objectives of the project are to develop a methodology to quantify the amount of waste arising in the retail and wholesale supply chain; quantify the waste arising in terms of carbon equivalents and economic value; identify the waste profile of specific produce types based on their post-harvest life; identify and quantify how waste is managed, including the quantity returned; and identify best practice for reducing product damage and fresh produce waste.

The project will be completed in July 2009, after which a report will be published.

FPC ceo Nigel Jenney said: “We welcome input from members, in particular to participate in the interviews. These will be targeted at retailers, wholesalers and distributors and will take place in May. If you are interested in participating, please contact us. Participants are assured confidentiality regarding data provided.”

Eleven products have been selected to cover four major produce categories, which reflect differences in temperature management, susceptibility to ethylene and physical damage, as well as seasonality/country of origin and availability. These are: raspberries, strawberries, tomatoes, Romaine lettuce, apples, onions, potatoes, cabbage, citrus, avocados and bananas.

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