BEL GROUP COMMITTED TO THE FIGHT AGAINST FOOD WASTE

Because an impactful positive change can only come through collective action, Bel is fully engaged in the Consumer Goods Forum Food Waste Coalition of Action since 2019. In 2021, we decided to take another ambitious step by officially joining the 10x20x30 initiative, thus committing to halve food waste by 2030 (vs. 2018) and publish our food waste reporting every year.

To be effective, the fight against food waste is a priority from upstream to downstream of our production. This is why Bel works with its entire ecosystem, from farm to fork.

On the farm, we care about collecting the milk locally and regularly to limit the time between harvesting and processing as the milk is a fragile ingredient. All the milk pro­duced is collected, even when there are production surpluses. We also support our farmers by identifying & sharing best practices to avoid milk waste at the farm such as good hygienic practices, pertinent use of antibiotics or how to avoid productivity losses due to mastitis.

Numerous efforts are made in the Group’s factories to limit waste generation as much as possible. Product development and manufacturing (formulation, heat treatment protocols, design of efficient packaging, etc.) are carried out in such a way as to preserve the taste and health qualities of dairy, fruit and vegetable products over relatively long periods of time. The production of finished products is also adjusted with the sales estimates to avoid any overproduction for which the outlets would not be assured.

In our plants, we strive to minimize losses and use all the components of the milk collected. 99% of the by-products from cheese production, such as cream and whey, are recycled by being used in the composition of other recipes based on a circular economy approach. At Bel, we track all forms of food waste including any raw materials washed down the drain on production lines.

Overall, 99.9% of Bel products are sold or donated to associations, but we can always do better. This is why we are partnering with METRO who invited us to join the 10x20x30 initiative, to discuss new opportunities to go even further together in reducing food waste in our respective warehouses and stores.

Bel’s palletization plans and grouping boxes are specially designed to ensure that products are well protected during the numerous manipulations they undergo (trucks, containers, warehouses, etc.) and maintain their integrity until they are made available to consumers.

Of course, one of our major assets in the fight against food waste at consumer level is the single-serving portion which allows us to offer our consumers the right nutrionalamount and therefore reduce food waste.

Through our iconic and popular brands, we have a unique capability to encourage citizens to take on new more sustainable habits.

• In 2019, Bel joined the Too Good To Go pact on Consumer Dates and it was the first company in 2020 to add a mention on the packaging of The Laughing Cow to raise consumers’ awareness of the Best before date and to prevent products that are still good from being wasted by encouraging consumers to look, smell & taste before throwing them away .In 2021, this initiative was deployed to other brands and countries.

• Every year Bel organizes special communication events towards its employees, inviting them to measure the social, economic & environmental impacts of food waste and discover concrete ways to fight against food waste. The group empowers them to spread the word through their own network to have more impact.

 

We all have a role to play and we strongly believe that by joining forces we can do better not only to reduce food waste but also to support the food transition and have a positive impact on our planet !