Instant Genius - How to combat the planet’s growing issue of food waste

Episode Date: November 17, 2025

According to the United Nations, around one-third of all the food currently produced across the planet is being lost or wasted, oftentimes before it even reaches our plates. As well as the loss of essential sources of nutrition needed to feed the global population, issues in food supply chains are using up other vital resources such as water, labour and energy. So, what can we do to ensure that as much food as possible makes it from farm to fork without being wasted? As part of our four-part miniseries, Future of Food, we’re joined by Dr Natalia Falagán, an Agricultural Engineer and Senior Lecturer in Food Science and Technology at Cranfield University. She explains the need for more joined-up thinking to help connect the different stages of our food production systems, the difference between use-by and best-before dates and tells us how growing something as simple as herbs in a kitchen window box can help us all deepen our relationships with the food we eat. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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focal, combine handcrafted tradition with cutting-edge innovation and high-end materials, delivering digital precision with analogue warmth. So you can experience exceptional sound at home. Music just as the artist intended. Visit name audio.com to learn more. Hello and welcome to incident genius, a bite-size master class in podcast form. Every Monday and Friday, you'll hear a world-leading scientist and experts talking about the most fascinating ideas in science and technology today. I'm Jason Goodyear, commissioning the BBC Science Focus. According to the United Nations, around one third of all food

currently produced across the planet is being lost or wasted, oftentimes before it even reaches our plates. As well as the loss of essential sources of nutrition needed to feed the global population, issues in food supply chains are using other vital resources, such as water, labour and energy. So what can we do to ensure that as much food as possible

makes it from farm to fork without being wasted? In this episode, we're joined by Dr. Natalia Falagan, an agricultural engineer and senior lecturer in food science and technology based at Cranfield University. She explains the need for more joined-up thinking to help connect the different stages of our food production systems, the difference between Newsby and Best Before Dates, and tells us how growing something as simple as herbs in a kitchen window box can help us all deepen our relationships with the food we eat. So welcome to the podcast. Thanks so much for joining us. Thank you, Jason. It's a pleasure. So today we're talking all about food waste, a growing problem all over the world at the moment. Do we know how big the problem actually is?

How much food is being wasted and what sort of damage is this doing? What sort of economic loss are we having? Yes, we are trying really hard to estimate how much we are losing and wasting of the food we are producing. but there are a few things that we need to bear in mind that are very important to understand the dimension of the problem. The United Nations consider that we are wasting and losing around one third of the food we are producing. That is true, but it depends on where we are and what we are looking at.

So the first thing we have to differentiate is food loss and food waste, because it's not the same, and sometimes they get misplaced or overlooked. So food loss is everything that happens before it reaches the consumer. So everything that we produce that doesn't reach the consumer. That is linked to normally, to issues around handling, issues around infrastructure. And it happens normally in low-income countries where they don't have access to things like coal chain. Then we have food waste. And that's where the consumer enters into the game. And it's very, very complex because it is related also to behavior.

And that we see a lot of food waste in industrialized countries. So we have that differentiation. Food loss, everything that happens before it reaches the consumer, normally linked to infrastructure, low-income countries, and food waste related to consumer behavior and everything that links to more industrialized countries, quality control, standards, things like best before, used by dates, a lot of things going on. And then we also have to look at what we are actually losing or wasting, because when we are talking

about food groups, the food group that is most affected by this situation is fruit and vegetables because they are very, very perishable. So also the way we eat them, the way we use them is different to, for example, meat or fish, which have a lot of other technologies that we can apply to minimize that loss or waste. So we can see in general, if we talk about global food loss and waste, we can think about a third of what we are producing, but it can go to 80% in low-income countries if we are looking at, I don't know, for example, mango production. So really complex problem, really interesting.

lots of research going into it and I think we need to really raise awareness so it's really good to be here today with you trying to talk about this a little bit more. Great. So you mentioned there that the food loss aspect of this and you said it's largely due to sort of infrastructure. So what sort of what do you mean by that? Is that sort of shipping? Is it storage?

You know, what are the big problems there? One of the things we have to bear in mind is that if we talk about, for example, fruit and vegetables that from my perspective are the most complex and challenging fruit groups is that we need to have coal chain from the moment they are harvested until they reach the consumer. That market connectivity doesn't exist everywhere. Sometimes what happens is that we confuse coal storage with coal chain. It's not the same.

If we put, we harvest, for example, some strawberries in a remote area, in India and we try to get it to a storage unit, it can be like hours or even days for it to happen. By the time they reach the storage unit, they are already way far gone, and there's nothing we can do with the quality and safety of that product. So it is really important that we have cold chain

from the moment that it is harvested, like pre-cooling, refrigerated transport, storage unit, and then in retail also maintain the right temperature. And that's really important because when we talk about coal storage, we don't necessarily mean really, really low temperature. It's about maintaining the product at the right temperatures. For example, if we talk about peaches or nectarines, stone fruit, they like to be around zero degrees.

If we store them between two and seven, is something that we call killing zone, where they lost their juiciness and they become like basically a little bit of cardboard. If you do it with some of the peaches maybe you have at home in your fridge, that is normally between four and five degrees and you cut them in half, and squish them a little bit, you will see that they've lost their juicing. And it's because they've been stored at the wrong temperature. For example, tomatoes, they are better stored at between 10, 12 degrees.

We don't need to go that low. So one of the problems that we have at the moment is that fruit and vegetables are not stored at the right temperature, developing disorders that weren't there at the beginning and also implying sometimes overcooling, which has an impact on the energy consumption, which has an impact on greenhouse emissions and global warming. So everything is interlinked and we need to look at the food industry from a holistic perspective. It's not about looking only at food or only at refrigeration or only on transport. We need to work all together with the same vision to deliver high quality and very safe products to the consumer.

Yeah, so you mentioned that this is a sort of many facetive problem. And you used the example of us going to the supermarket to get strawberries, which were grown in India. I mean, there appear to be two problems there. One is just the sheer expense and use of resources that it takes to get them here. And the other one is the spoilage and things like that that can occur at the same time. So it's a sort of, we're fit for two problems there. So why don't we just eat as locally as we can? That would be fantastic.

It would be really good if we can eat produce that have been grown locally and seasonally. but that's not the mindset that the consumer has at the moment. We want pineapples in the UK in December. We want avocados. We want things that are really nutritious, that are very good in terms of organolectic compounds, really tasty, really nice, really good for your health, but it has an impact on the environment

because we need to import and rely in other countries to get those products in here. That implies loss of costs in terms of transport, lots of technology around maintaining the quality of that product from the moment they've been harvested until they reach here. That can take weeks. So sometimes what we do is support coal chain with other technology, like for example, gases, atmospheres that are completely free of chemicals,

it's super safe, no issue at all. And what they do is reduce the metabolism, slow down the metabolism of this product. so the ripening and senescence processes, the way they die, is extended. So there's more and more research around sustainable production and sustainable distribution of food. That's something I'm quite happy about. Moving away from fossil fuels will help too.

And also, yeah, trying to, again, increase awareness of the consumer and see how that can work. but there is a very big disconnect between the food production and the consumer. So if you ask anyone really or some people right now how an artitech grows or what does the plant look like, some people won't be able to answer that question. So the further away we are producing these products, the larger is the disconnect. And people take for granted sometimes, which is normal, like totally understanding. understand how things have grown and the input that come with it. Because when we talk about

food loss and waste, it's not only the physical laws of that product. It's also all the water, energy, labor, logistics that have gone into producing that food and taking it to your house. So it's a whole big problem that is having a huge impact on the environment too. So you mentioned their sort of consumer attitudes. Another thing is, if you you go to the supermarket, you know, it's all, everything's all a nice shape, it's a nice colour, there's no spots on it. So there's a sort of, sort of an aesthetic preference to fresh produce. So what happens to the ones that aren't, you know, attractive enough, you know, good enough looking pretty? There are different options, but those don't meet the

quality standards that some supermarkets and consumer require. So if they don't look as pretty, let's say, they can always go to different industries, like for example, juice, sauces, fresh cut, and the different types of where the appearance doesn't matter as much. There are lots of campaigns from UK supermarkets, actually, that are trying to promote those ugly fruit and vegetables because they're still as nutritious and as good as any other. So we kind of minimise that impact on food loss and waste.

That also has an impact on the economy because those not as pretty fruit and vegetables will be marketed at a lower price and that also has an impact on the farmer. So we need to find a balance between reducing food loss and waste without negatively affecting the farmer's income to something that we need to be in mind. Another thing that everyone will notice if they've gone to the supermarket is not being able to buy things like the quantity of something that you want quite often. So say on a Sunday I'm going to have, I don't know, sausage and mash or something for my lunch. I go to the supermarket and I have to buy two kilos of potatoes, but I just want, you know, one portion or two portions of mash. So is there a reason why they do that? Is it sort of, is that due to economic practices? Yes, there is a reason behind.

it. Normally when we use packaging is not only to make it nice and easy to carry, it's also a way to protect the fruit and vegetables. So packaging, even though it has a very bad reputation, it's actually really helpful to maintain the quality of these products because they are very perishable and very subject to mechanical damage. So they protect them from water laws, that all the motion and weight loss, they will protect them from all these damage that can have, like in transport. They allow to have the information of the product

on the packaging so you will know the provenance, you will know the use-by-or-best-before-dates, you will know nutritional content. Also, it will allow, like, the supermarket and also the farmers to have, like, unis that are easy to sell, easy to put a price on. So I think more and more also supermarkets are selling the products individually so we can

have that choice. I think having the choice is really important. I don't think we need to demonize completely the packaging because maybe plastic is not ideal. We need to find other alternatives to plastic. That is something that they need to be cost effective because the alternatives are that they are not as cheap. as plastic. And then having the alternative, for, for example, people who live on their own or

in a couple that are not like just a big family that, yeah, that happens to me often, that I don't need two kilos of potatoes because I'm not able to eat them as fast as I would like to. So having both things, I think it is important. And from my experience, and I think more and more supermarkets are offering both options, like you can buy two or three potatoes or you can buy the full bike because I still think packaging is important when we need to protect our food from contamination, from mechanical damage, from weight loss when they are traveling long distances and yeah. So I think a balance is important to have.

But those are some of the reasons why we still use packaging, even though it's not ideas sometimes from some of the consumers. Wishing you could be there live for the big game, soaking up the atmosphere, crowd, but too often life gets busy or the price holds you back. Priceline is here to help you make it happy. With millions of deals on flights, hotels and rental cars, you can go see the game live. Don't just dream about the trip. Book it with Priceline.

Download the Priceline app or visitpriceline.com. Actual prices may vary, limited time offer. This podcast is sponsored by name, audio, and trocal. With over 100 years of combined expertise, Name and Focal have been bringing music to listeners just as the artist intended. Since day one, this mantra has shaped every innovation in high-fi design, technology and acoustic engineering, balancing craftsmanship and tradition with pioneering thinking. Name Audio pushes cutting-edge technology to ensure digital precision whilst sustaining Pratt,

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has come up. So first off, what's the difference between the best before and a used by date? So best before is more related to food quality, whether use by date is related to food safety. So when you see an use by date, this is really important that you consume that product by midnight of the day that is set on the packaging. It can still look okay. It can. It can. can smell okay, but I can make you sick if you eat it. It's a food safety issue. Really important to follow the instructions of preservation of the product that you're eating. So if it says keep it chill, please put it in your fridge. That is normally around five degrees or below. And then it did really on the like the day that it says that.

It's really critical if you're not going to cook or freeze those products. If you're going to cook it, the danger or the risk is smaller because normally high temperatures kill all these pathogens. So you have a little bit of leeway there. And then you can always freeze the product and consume it later on. Freezing is a tool that we can use to extend chef life and minimize food loss and waste too. That is really important, not only at a consumer level, but also at an industry. three-level. And then best-before dates, or sometimes you see BBE, like a best-before-end, is related to quality and not safety. So you can consume them. Don't wait like four months afterwards, obviously,

but you can consume them. Probably they won't be as tasty or as nice-looking as they were, but they will still be safe. But again, I want to reinforce the idea that even though best-before-end dates are not related to safety as much, don't wait a long time after that date has gone by, because it can still have an impact on your health. Yeah, so you mentioned freezing food or frozen food there, which I think is quite interesting. It's obviously one of the, other than sort of curing and salting and smoking, etc. One of the methods that we use, we've used for years and years of preserving food. But, you know, I don't know if this is true, but someone told me that when I go to the supermarket,

I should buy frozen prawns, not ones from the refrigerator, because the ones from the refrigerator have been frozen anyway and then de-frosted. Do things like that happen? Sometimes it does happen, and it's a very particular case and it's related to a specific pathogen parasite that fish can have. So sometimes out of safety, they get a very particular case. it's frozen and then de-frost it, sometimes, not always, just to make sure those parasites are not there anymore. We use frozen chains for food and vegetables, for fish, for meat, to extend this chef life. This is a really good tool to minimize food loss and waste because we have a better control

of the stock and then we can use it as we please or when we need it without having an big impact on the quality and of the product. But there are a few things to very mind. First of all, is high energy consuming process. We published a report not that long ago called 3 degrees of change where a group of supermarkets, companies and academics thought that it might be ideal to increase the freezing temperature from minus 15 to minus 15 is 3.5. It's 3.5. degrees. It's not allowed, but it really has an impact on the energy needed to reduce that temperature. Then we will be kind of tackling a little bit the issue around energy consumption, gas emissions, etc. Then we have the issue around safety. In theory, when we freeze fruit and vegetables

or meat or fish, the pathogens go into a sleepy mode and standby. That doesn't mean that freezing will kill those pathogens. We just put them to sleep. So it is important that once we defrost them, we make sure that we use them properly so we avoid any contamination, bacterial or fungi contamination. The third point is around quality. If we freeze, for example, meat or fish properly, we need to freeze them really fast because if not, if we do like a slow freezing process, a lot of crystals will form and it will damage

texture, antioxidants, it will release all these good compounds and the texture and that will damage quality. So really important to have a really good, really fast freezing process. If we do that, then for, for example, meat and fish, because we are going to cook them normally, it will maintain their flavor and taste and texture really well. But that's not the same if we try to freeze, for example, an apple. If we defrost an apple, it won't be the same product as the beginning. So we need to make sure the consumer understands also what freezing means for quality of fruit. They will be able to use it like in smoothies, in, I don't know, juices, anything like that, in a really nice way, really good quality, maintaining that nutrition, perfect,

but they won't be able to get that strawberry or that initial banana back. And that's the main difference between fruit that is not going to be cooked normally and vegetables or meat or fish that sometimes are cooked. So as long as we understand that we are offering a different product for fruit, that's perfect, and we will also minimize lots. because we have another tool to maintain that quality. And really interesting also for my perspective is that when we talk about food loss and waste, something that is normally overlooked is the nutritional loss that happens across the chain.

And sometimes we are offering the consumer something that looks nice, is tasty, but the nutrition is being lost along the way. So that's something that my research focuses on to like trying to maintain the nutritional quality of those products to offer also like a healthy product to the consumer. So as long as we know all these and we are working like as a team in the different sectors, freezing is a really good option to as an extra tool to minimize food loss and waste definitely. So another thing that, I mean, I think some people can be a bit sort of snobby about frozen food, can't they? It's somehow sort of lower quality. And the same thing with tins. So we've been,

When preserving food in tins for also an awful long time, is there anything we can say about that? Because, you know, you get these people that are worried that the world's going to end, and they have sort of a spare bedroom full of tins of all sorts of soup and things. Because it lasts for ages, doesn't it, a tin of food? How does tining preserve things? And, you know, should we basically all be eating more tinned food? Tin food is a good one and it's been used for ages. What we do is applying a really high.

temperature treatment that basically kills the potential pathogens and store them in a tin in a container that doesn't allow future contamination. So it's basically stuck in time. And as you said, yeah, they last for a long time. So I don't blame people who think that things are not going the right way because the news are not very encouraging lately that they store a few of them just in case. they are very helpful to maintain. Normally it's cooked food, so you just need to reheat them. So very convenient. The quality of it depends on your taste. Some of them are more tasted than others.

The same of safety, very safe. The only thing is that nutritionally sometimes, because of that very high temperature that we need to apply, not for a long time, but we need to apply to make it safe for a long time, some of the nutrients get degraded. But, still very good alternative to have it in your house for an emergency or for just a few nights a week. I still think that having a balanced diet where you still introduce fresh fruit and vegetables into your diet is really good. I think if you eat only thin food, is not going to be ideal. But again, everything in the right amount serves a purpose and is really helpful because we cannot forget that everyone in industrialized countries are very busy.

Everyone is very busy and we cannot always have like a four-course meal made from scratch at home. It's just ridiculous to think like that. So I think a good balance between fresh produce that are really important because of their bioactive content, compound content, like vitamins and minerals really good with other products that give you like protein and then again if you don't have time every now and then thin food is really good frozen food can give you also a really good result so I would suggest if I may having like a balance and obviously trying to introduce fresh products but I understand

that that's not feasible and sometimes it's not affordable for everyone every day So we've talked about an awful lot of different topics. They're really interesting stuff. But sort of by way of closing, do you have any sort of key pieces of advice, some sort of top tips that anyone listening to who's wanting to stop the amount of food waste in their homes, some things that they could do? Yes, so I would say in terms of tip, I would like to ask people to be curious about where their food comes from, to go into the right surcees. So, for example, the Food Standards Agency here in the UK has a lot of information in their

web page that are really useful, really user-friendly. United Nations has also lots of information there. And obviously, they can always contact the academics. We are always happy to talk to anyone who wants to talk about, at least me. I'm always happy to talk about these things. And then we can inform rather than trying to look for sources like Facebook or things like that, that sometimes they have good information, but in general it's better to go to more proven sources. And then also, if I may, like going outside, going to the countryside and

seeing where an apple grows, try also at home, try to grow some herbs. And that kind of gives you a sense of how hard it is sometimes to grow the food that we eat. And sometimes people feel a little bit more connect it and think twice about throwing something in the bin before consuming it or trying to find an alternative use, like instead of using it in a salad, maybe can I freeze it or can I cook it or, I don't know, there are things like that. And if I would think about what would work in a household to reduce food waste in this case, could be a little bit of a better planning. So maybe a weekly menu where you know what you're going to be eating when you receive or you buy your food. If things you think they are going to go to waste soon, maybe try to freeze

them or cook them earlier, basically I think planning will really help minimize food waste at home, I would say. That reconnection with nature and with our production system and having the better planning. And I'm the first one who sometimes waste food because of bad planning, because of busy life. So I totally relate to what happens everywhere, even though my whole job is about contributing towards refutus and waste reduction. Thank you for listening to this episode of Insentgenius, brought to you from the team behind BBC Science Focus. That was Dr. Natalia Falagon. If you liked what you just heard, then please do consider subscribe to Insentgenius on your your preferred podcast platform. If you'd like to see our guests and hosts in person, then please do

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