Less Swiss potato waste

Around one third of all foodstuffs are lost on the way to our tables. For Swiss potatoes, it's half the harvest. What measures help to reduce losses, and how do they have an impact?

Approximately every other Swiss potato doesn't get eaten
The production of foodstuffs pollutes the environment to a high degree: on the one hand, it uses many resources such as water, soil, chemicals and energy. On the other hand, it releases numerous emissions such as fertiliser or plant protection. Additionally, it costs a lot of money to prepare, store, transport and pack food. If these valuable foods do not make it to our plates, this is ultimately an ecological and economic waste. The potato is a food that is often lost along the production/supply chain. We have examined potential loss-avoiding measures and analysed their ecological and economic effects.

Where and why do potatoes get lost?
In Switzerland, potatoes are lost for two main reasons. Firstly, they do not meet quality requirements. Farmers or packing companies therefore sort out 'inferior potatoes'. These losses are, at least, fully exploted, either as animal feed or in a biogas plant.

Secondly, consumers are throwing potatoes away, often because they bought more than they needed. These household losses are particularly severe because the potatoes have already passed through the entire production and supply chain. The majority of them ultimately land in the refuse incineration plant - which is not very efficient. The losses in the retail trade are comparatively low, and usually also end up in the rubbish.

How can these losses be avoided?
On the one hand, producers could try to improve the quality of the potatoes. For example, by selecting new, more suitable varieties or improving plant protection. There has been a lot of intense and successful research in this field. Potato quality, however, is affected by other, variable factors such as weather or new pests and diseases. On the other hand, there are two things households could do in order to reduce the amount of potatoes ending up in the rubbish. If retailers offered potatoes loose for sale, consumers would be able to buy the exact amount of potatoes they need. Alternatively, retailers could sell potatoes unwashed in an opaque cardboard box - this way the potatoes would last much longer. With these measures, the annual potato losses in Switzerland could be reduced by 5,000 or 12,000 metric tonnes.

Educate consumers

Measures for loss reduction should also take into account what consumers want. They said in a survey that they prefer to take measures which do not endanger the environment and their own health as much as possible, and which aren't too inconvenient. Especially in Switzerland, where more and more people are opting for organic food, it is difficult to justify the use of additional synthetic plant protection products to reduce crop losses. Instead, both consumers and retailers should take more responsibility.

This could be achieved by educating consumers. In Great Britain, a large-scale awareness campaign reduced household food losses by about a quarter. Such successes are encouraging.

Source: ETH Zürich