Protecting global food supply: The heat is on

The UK and Europe have seen sweltering temperatures in summer 2022, as have other parts of the world.

For the first time on record, temperatures in the UK exceeded 40°C. Extreme weather brings home the impact of climate change on all our daily lives, including how it could affect what we eat.

Climate change is disrupting food supply

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, just 15 crop plants contribute to 90% of humanity’s energy intake.

A report from The University of Cambridge predicts that rising temperatures pose a major threat to global food supply, increasing probabilities of “breadbasket failures” as the world’s most agriculturally productive areas suffer collective meltdowns.

Business Insider doesn’t sugar coat the facts when they report on the vulnerabilities:

“In Kansas, more than 2,000 cattle died in a record heat wave. In Tunisia, fires razed fields of grain to the ground. In southern China, historic flooding damaged almost 100,000 hectares of crops. In northern Italy, a farm lobby warned that drought could claim half the region's agricultural output."

“That was just June (2022). The global food supply is taking a hit from pandemic-driven labour shortages, supply-chain disruptions, and the war in Ukraine. Underlying it all is the climate crisis.”

Time to act

Seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have been set by The United Nations, a number of which focus on combatting climate change and its impacts, encouraging responsible consumption and production, sustainable living and the protection of ecosystems that are integral to the food supply chain.

Fullers Fulfilment is part of the B1G1 (Business for Good) initiative allows us to give to a variety of projects that support The UN’s SDGs. Every month, we donate to different causes, many of which are also aligned with the ecommerce sectors we serve. Food and drink is just one of those.

With the global food crisis coming increasingly under the spotlight, here’s who we’ve been supporting recently…

Preserving rainforests and supporting sustainable agriculture in Madagascar

The forest of Betampona, on the East Coast of Madagascar is one of the last surviving lowland forests on the island and is home to thousands of endemic species. The survival of this precious forest is threatened by the extreme poverty of the local population who rely on it for food, as well as firewood, and shelter.

Fuller’s donation is helping a team of experienced, locally based, agricultural technicians to provide 60 days of training in sustainable alternatives to destructive slash and burn agriculture.

Helping The Food Bank Singapore to reduce food waste

Every year, about 763,100 tonnes of food waste is generated in Singapore. Much of this is edible but 'ugly' food. The Food Bank Singapore acquires donated food, much of which would otherwise be wasted, from farms, manufacturers, distributors, retail stores, consumers, and other sources, and make it available to those in need through a network of member beneficiaries.

Our support has prevented over 30 kg of edible food from being wasted and sent to the landfill.

Let’s use business for good

We are all global citizens and climate change affects every one of us. Giving to causes such as these allows Fullers to play a part in changing the world for the better, alongside providing high quality fulfilment solutions for ecommerce SMEs and household brands.

Find out about other B1G1 projects we’ve been supporting and get the latest figures on the impacts achieved here.

Choose Fullers as your fulfilment partner and see positive things happen for your business – and across the world. Contact us about outsourced fulfilment services today.