Food Safety Magazine, February/March 2012

INTERNATIONAL FOOD SAFETYbe to haul in molasses to feed the bacteria.They did not mention that the heatwaste from their factory was also of useas it increased the efficiency of theWWTP process.In Italy, only authorized companiescan collect used fats from deep-frying,but it is not specified what the propertreatment would be to render this materialsafe for the environment, so a numberof companies have sprung up,collecting the fat for the revenue but notbothering to handle it responsibly letalone convert it into energy in any way.We have followed many inspirationalpresentations from organizations such asCradle-to-Cradle, 1,2 which offer a verygood road map for many actions to betaken, but even logical actions will notnecessarily be allowed under current lawsand may be contrary to many interests.Now we have the “End-of-Waste” actionsand movements, which look quitepromising. In simple terms, EuropeanUnion Directive 2008/98/EC 3 opens thedoor for taking material out of the“waste definition” with attendant obligationsand allowing the concept of somethingof value, which provides anexception from “waste management”and allows value recovery. It may notsound like much, but opportunities areboundless for the food and beverage industry,where more than half of materialsproduced end as a problem for theenvironment.The European Commission’s JointResearch Centre in Seville, Spain has releaseda very good report on the matter,so anyone wishing to follow the widerdiscussion can visit susproc.jrc.ec.europa.eu/documents/Endofwastecriteriafinal.pdf. The executive summarycovers the matter extensively, so have alook and give us feedback.In the spirit of the efforts of theGlobal Harmonization Initiative, 4 thework recognizes the necessity of standardizedlegislation so speculation ondifferences between states can beavoided. The End-of-Waste legislationmandates harmonization, taking specialinterest decisions (whether hidden taxesor unjustified laxity or stringency) out ofthe picture.nDavid Napper is a member of the editorial teamof P3FC. He has worked extensively with EuropeanSMEs in attempts to identify trends that could influencetheir economic success. The solutions canoften be implemented incrementally with as littletechnology transfer and training as possible.References1. www.mcdonough.com/cradle_to_cradle.htm.2. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cradle_to_Cradle_ Design.3. eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:32008L0098:EN:NOT.4. www.globalharmonization.net.F E B R U A R Y n M A R C H 2 0 1 2 21