Initiated at interpack 2011 show, the SAVE FOOD Conference brings together key players in non-profit organizations, governments, business and research to foster dialogue on how to reduce food loss and waste along the food value chain. With a third of the world’s food supply thrown away or lost each year and 842 million people going hungry, this issue is one the conference is intent on addressing.

“All the industries involved in the food, packaging and logistics sectors have an especially important role to play in the SAVE FOOD initiative,” said Bernd Jablonowski, SAVE FOOD and interpack director. “Ultimately, it is the products developed by these companies that offer concrete approaches to solving the problems we all face. We want SAVE FOOD to act as a catalyst for establishing contact with other enterprises and organizations to carry these approaches further.”

Currently, 100 industrial companies, associations and media — including the latest to join as of press time: Nestle, Vevey, Switzerland — are a part of the SAVE FOOD alliance. By involving the food industry, the SAVE FOOD initiative seeks to pools the resources of the private and public sector.

The initiative is a joint effort between the Food and Agricultural Organization (F.A.O.) of the U.N. and Messe Düsseldorf, the organizing body behind interpack. This year’s congress will explore the results of studies on local food loss conducted by the F.A.O. in developing and emerging countries. The SAVE FOOD Conference will last two days, May 7 and 8 as a part of intperack 2014 in Dusseldorf, Germany.