Denmark to Cooperate with Turkey in Fight Against Food Waste

The Trade Section of the Danish Consulate General Istanbul hosted the second session of the 'Nordic Talks' webinar series. The webinar, titled 'Great Taste Zero Waste: Nordic Inspiration for a Mindful Cuisine', addressed how Denmark reduced its carbon footprint while becoming a brand in the food sector. Within the scope of food waste discussions that have intensified with the COVID-19 period, sustainable and more efficient use of resources was put on the agenda. The event, at which Danish Ambassador to Ankara Danny Annan, Food Nation Denmark CEO Lise Walbom, Chr. Hansen Turkey General Manager Ayça Akat and Novozymes Turkey General Manager Umut Köroğlu spoke, was moderated by Prof. Dr. Zafer Yenal, faculty member of the Sociology Department at Boğaziçi University. Denmark, among countries leading the world in sustainable food production and imports, serves as an example for other countries especially during the COVID-19 period in terms of ensuring food security. At the webinar, Denmark's policies and methods to prevent waste within the scope of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, from agriculture to gastronomy, were discussed in all aspects.

FOOD WASTE TO DROP BY 25 PERCENT IN FIVE YEARS

Danish Ambassador Annan, noting that the pandemic once again demonstrated how fragile global food systems are, spoke as follows: "The key to Denmark's success is the ability to bring together different stakeholders, people, academia, researchers, government and industry. A campaign that started as a grassroots movement approximately 10 years ago to reduce food waste quickly gained support from the government and industry. A target of a 25 percent reduction in food waste was set within five years, and Denmark became a global role model. I hope we can advance our cooperation with Turkey in this area by benefiting from Denmark's experience in food sustainability." Annan, recalling the words of Agriculture and Forestry Minister Bekir Pakdemirli that "Turkey wastes 19 million tons of food per year," went on to say: "After overcoming the COVID-19 pandemic, I look forward to organizing an event to show Turkish stakeholders that healthy and sustainable nutrition not only benefits the planet but also prevents lifestyle diseases such as diabetes and obesity. I hope we can use Denmark's food sustainability experience to advance our cooperation with Turkey. Just as Turkey has vast and fertile lands, it also needs to address its food waste." Food Nation Denmark CEO Walbom emphasized that agriculture and the food industry have an important role to play in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and stressed that one of the greatest challenges humanity faces in the 21st century is producing enough food for the growing global population. Walbom continued as follows:

HUMANITY WILL PRODUCE IN 40 YEARS AS MUCH FOOD AS IT HAS PRODUCED IN 8,000 YEARS

"Today, 800 million people are going hungry. By 2050, the world population will be 9 billion and demand for food will increase. To end hunger, as much food needs to be produced in the next 40 years as has been produced in the last 8,000 years. Therefore, we must act responsibly in food production and consumption. Sustainability in production and environmental pollution criteria must be taken into account. In consumption, we must reduce food loss and waste by 30 to 40 percent. According to data from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, one-third of the world's food, 1.6 billion tons, is wasted. The financial equivalent of this is 1.2 trillion dollars. Additionally, the production of 1.6 billion tons of food accounts for 8 percent of global CO2 emissions. In other words, if food waste were a country, it would be the world's third largest greenhouse gas emitter. From this perspective, preventing food waste plays an important role in combating the climate crisis." Nordic Talks was launched in 2019 by the Nordic Council of Ministers with the aim of becoming the world's most sustainable region, and events continue to be organized around the world within this scope. The title of the next webinar in the Nordic Talks series to be hosted by the Trade Section of the Danish Consulate General Istanbul has been set as 'Digital Denmark: Life Science and Technology in the Era of Post-COVID-19'.