Realising Good Growth SDG2

Overview

The global pandemic from 2021 has exacerbated world hunger for adults and children.

Almost 2.4 billion people are without food or fail to consume a healthy balanced diet regularly. This figure is rising at about 10% per annum.

In the UK, the situation is also serious. Over 2m tonnes of food is wasted across the food industry each year. Meanwhile, 5m adults and 2m children in the UK struggle to get enough to eat regularly. This is up by 2m, exacerbated by the 2020 pandemic, and is likely to worsen with the projected increased food and energy insecurity and prices.

Business Opportunities & Benefits

• Increased market share as consumers are increasingly conscious of ethical and sustainable practices.
• Reduced costs associated with health issues, social unrest, and economic instability.
• Risk mitigation related to climate change, natural disasters, and geopolitical instability.
• Development of new sustainable food production and distribution methods.
• Sustainable agricultural practices that protect the environment and conserve natural resources.
• Reduced food waste can have significant environmental benefits, including decreased greenhouse gas emissions and reduced resource consumption.

How can an organisation pursue SDG2?

There are things that businesses can do to help combat hunger.
• Provide help, support and innovation for farmers, enabling them to become more efficient .
• Provide support to small and large producers to develop robust business models for regenerative farming.
• Invest in local food-generating businesses and organisations to improve food security, sustainability and lower prices.
• Reduce food wastage internally and by customers.
• Support responsible sourcing of livestock food and fertilisers.
• Provide innovation support to businesses in the value chain and workforce nutrition programmes – encourage people to be food wise.
• Provide technologies and services, such as storage and distribution equipment, to improve food accessibility and lower prices.

Case Study: Cotteswold Dairy reducing food waste

Cotteswold Dairy is one of the largest Independent Family Dairies in the UK, supplying England and Wales and processing more than 100 million litres of milk each year. They have four Service Depots in Cheltenham, Shropshire, North Wales and Hereford, plus a large production site in Tewkesbury. They work with over forty family farms located close to their dairies.

Cotteswold Dairy is a part of the Food Waste Reduction Roadmap Initiative, run by WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Programme). This initiative helps businesses reduce food waste by monitoring it and providing analysis to help make better decisions about reducing our food waste.

Where possible, any excess or close to used-by date products are donated to the local food banks, reducing food wastage.

They also provide information to their customers to help them to reduce their food waste.
• Check that your fridge temperature is at a minimum of 5 degrees Celsius.
• Keep frozen and refrigerated goods together in a shopping bag after grocery shopping; maintaining a lower temperature and stopping them from warming up on the journey home.
• If you have items that are about to expire and they are suitable for freezing, freeze them for a later date.
• Use up leftover vegetables to make a pasta sauce.

Sustainable Development Goal #2

Zero Hunger

Overview

Business Opportunities & Benefits

How can an organisation pursue SDG2?

Case Study: Cotteswold Dairy reducing food waste

More SDGs