Is it possible to produce perfect food?

The book encourages the food sector to adhere to sustainability standards to build a better future

Dubai, United Arab Emirates - DSS+ Sustainability Solutions Consulting today announced the release of a new book entitled “How to Achieve a Sustainable Food Sector - A Practical Guide to Perfect Food”. This Routledge volume, written by a group of academics and food industry experts, explores new opportunities to radically transform the food value chain, discussing options and decisions that will protect the global food system and advance it to new heights. The authors, experts in sustainability practices, explain a range of food topics and use case studies to provide guidance on how to analyze sustainability and make the best strategic choices to drive human-centered transformation, both within companies and across value chains.

Data from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations indicate that the food sector is responsible for 31% of greenhouse gas emissions, 70% of global freshwater use, 38% of land use, and 80% of biodiversity loss.

Commenting on this topic, Melissa Barrett, Global Managing Director of Corporate Impact and Sustainability at DSS+, said about the primary goal of publishing the book: “I and my co-authors wanted to create a practical guide to help companies deal with the urgent issues of sustainability in the food sector. To achieve this Ultimately, we were keen to harness all our experiences, tools, and data-enhanced knowledge in order to contribute to revealing facts, facilitating selection processes, and directing actions towards supporting sustainable transformation and protecting food systems.”

The demand for basic food products is witnessing a significant increase that may reach 60% in 2050, according to the expectations of the United Nations Environment Programme, especially in light of the increasing population of the planet, which is heading towards reaching 10 billion people by 2050.2

The book's authors confirm that the most prominent challenge facing the food and agriculture sector lies in the growing world population and the high demand for food and resources. The importance of moving the sector and society towards sustainability is highlighted, especially in light of the shift towards a sustainable economy, in order to meet the increasing demand for production and manage the largest possible proportion of the world’s natural resources. The drivers of this shift extend to consumer demand, business operations, production, supply chains, and labor market dynamics.

In the introduction to the book, Juan Aguiriano, head of the Sustainability and Technology Projects Group at the Kerry Group, asks about “the possibility of designing a food system capable of providing 10 billion people with healthy and delicious food every day, that provides equitable access to resources, is sensitive to different cultures, and does not cause non-communicable diseases.” For billions of people, and to avoid wasting 30% of the food produced and depleting 70% of the available water, with its ability to renew soil, revive biodiversity, and limit global warming to less than 1.5 degrees. Perhaps the best way to achieve this goal is for food systems to adopt standards Sustainability, employing innovative knowledge and human expertise, and cooperating with sector leaders who are good at making the right decisions.”

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About the book “How to Achieve a Sustainable Food Sector - A Practical Guide to Perfect Food”

A new book takes readers on a journey along the food value chain, from farm to fork, and explores the opportunities to increase positive and sustainable impacts at every step of the journey. The authors of the work seek to emphasize the importance of making informed decisions as a way to redraw the features of the food sector and advance it for the good of humanity.

List of book authors:

Melissa Barrett is currently the Global Managing Director of Corporate Impact and Practices at DSS+, where she has over 20 years of experience building and developing sustainability strategies. Barrett works with agricultural, food and beverage clients across complex markets, as well as food and consumer industry associations that play a leading role in driving value and sustainable environmental impact. Barrett holds a PhD in Environmental Sciences from the University of Adelaide in Australia.

Massimo Marino: He is an environmental engineer who has dedicated his career to monitoring and mitigating the environmental impacts of various practices, especially in the agriculture and food and beverage sectors. Marino holds a PhD from the Polytechnic University of Turin and is the author and co-author of several scientific publications, including the Life Cycle Analysis Handbook (2008).

Francesca Brkić: Director at DSS+, and founder of Little Origins, a startup specializing in developing baby food based on the circular economy. Francesca holds a Master's degree in Sustainable Leadership from the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom, where she focused her efforts on pioneering sustainability approaches, such as the circular economy and regenerative agriculture.

Carlo Alberto Pratici: He is Professor of Economics and Business Administration at the University of Roma Tre, Italy, and supervisor responsible for the Marketing, Innovation and Sustainability courses. He is also the founder and President of the European Institute of Innovation for Sustainability.

About DSS+

DSS+ is one of the leading companies in providing consulting services for sustainable operations management, with the aim of reducing vital risks that threaten humans and striving to establish a sustainable future. DSS+ helps companies build organizational and human capabilities, manage risks, improve operations, achieve sustainability goals, and operate according to a superior methodology in terms of environmental awareness and responsibility. For more information, please visit the website: www.consultdss.com

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