The SAVE FOOD Initiative is further expanding its international cooperation and deepening its partnership with the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) and the World Packaging Organisation (WPO). The cooperation aims to continue strengthening the role of packaging, processing and industrial innovation in the global fight against food loss and waste. At interpack 2026, the SAVE FOOD Initiative will be deploying a variety of formats to show how it is advancing its goals worldwide.
Since its foundation in 2011, the SAVE FOOD Initiative has been working with international organisations, industry partners and institutions to reduce food loss and waste right along the value chain. Now that the cooperation with UNIDO and WPO is officially in place, the initiative has acquired additional technical depth, global reach and political relevance.
Said Thomas Dohse, Director interpack and SAVE FOOD Initiative: “Food loss and waste is a global problem that only international cooperation can effectively address. With UNIDO and the World Packaging Organisation, we are uniting industry know-how, development policy expertise and practical solutions. This partnership strengthens SAVE FOOD as a global platform and highlights the contribution that packaging and processing can make to realising UN Sustainable Development Goals.”
Added Gunther Beger UNIDO Managing Director: “Strengthening the agrifood midstream is vital for advancing agro‑industrial development, expanding value addition, and building resilient, nutrition‑focused food systems. The ‘hidden middle’ remains where losses concentrate and transformation potential is greatest. Guided by the World Without Hunger Initiative and UNIDO’s Food Loss and Waste Action Plan, we continue to prioritise midstream infrastructure, climate‑smart processing, and SME capacity to reduce post‑harvest loss, enhance food safety, and drive inclusive, climate‑resilient growth. SAVE FOOD combines global industry expertise with specific on-the-ground projects. This kind of bridge-building is crucial to establishing sustainable value chains and improving long-term food security.”
Concluded Nerida Kelton, Vice President Sustainability & Save Food, World Packaging Organisation (WPO): “The World Packaging Organisation (WPO) is proud to become a strategic alliance partner of the SAVE FOOD Initiative alongside FAO, UNIDO and Messe Düsseldorf. This collective group brings extensive knowledge to global and local discussions on how food loss and waste can be minimised and environmental impacts reduced wherever possible. Through the SAVE FOOD Initiative, the WPO can help elevate awareness and education about the true role that packaging plays in minimising Food Loss & Waste. The WPO truly believes that together we can support and foster sustainable food systems around the globe that interlink agriculture, farming, packing, processing, packaging, waste management and end of life recovery of all waste. This should be a collective effort, so we welcome everyone to be a part of the change we need.” For more visit SAVE FOOD at interpack or at save-food.org
