Use of food wastes for industrial purposes

The UN Food Waste Index Report 2021 highlights that one billion tons of food is wasted annually, with households accounting for 61% of the waste. This poses environmental challenges and requires interventions at various levels. Collaboration between governments, businesses, and consumers is necessary to achieve the UN's goal of reducing global food waste by 50% by 2030. Strategies such as incentivizing sustainable practices and promoting innovation can help transform the food sector towards sustainability. In India, addressing the disposal of industrial waste is crucial, and extracting bioactive compounds from organic waste can provide valuable resources. Using greener extraction techniques and conducting economic analyses can lead to commercial utilization of industrial waste, reducing environmental pollution. Converting composted food waste into biogas is an environmentally friendly approach that reduces greenhouse gas emissions while generating renewable energy. Ethylene, a gas released by fruits and vegetables, can be used as a biogas to replace methane, offering benefits in industrial and construction applications.