Social Impact Highlight:
Food Safety

Increased demand for (perishable) food
The world’s population is expected to increase by two billion people in the next 30 years, with demand for food and livestock in 2050 estimated to be 56% greater than in 2010. As health-conscious and richer consumers around the world seek to consume more meat, fruits and vegetables, fresh and frozen, all year long, there is a growing demand for nutritious, perishable food requiring sufficient cold transport and storage.

Healthcare and Productivity Costs of Foodborne Diseases (FBD)
Foodborne diseases cost India $28 billion a year (0.5% GDP), and productivity loss of $15 billion a year, with cases expected to increase to 170 million a year in 2030 from 100 million in 2011.
Food contamination monitoring is essential to ensuring the safety of food supply and managing risk. Likewise, consumer awareness about food safety plays an especially important role in the successful implementation of food safety guidelines.

Mandala’s Social ROI for Food Safety in FY2020 is 1.6
This means that every $1 invested in food safety has resulted in $1.60 of social value. Food testing, cold chain storage and reefer truck capacity contribute to reduced contamination risk and reduced healthcare spend on FBD. Food safety accounts for 54% of all social impact created by Mandala’s portfolio companies. For more insight into our impact methodology, click here.

How Mandala’s Portfolio Companies Contributed in 2020
To ensure a safe and sustainable food supply, initiatives in technology, food packaging, and waste reduction can lengthen food’s shelf life and increase food supply.

  • Gati Kausar owns temperature-controlled facilities, including an extensive fleet of 180 refrigerated vehicles and a growing network of cold warehouse facilities across India that are needed to meet the growing demand for food with quality and safety.
  • EFRAC is one of the largest integrated food testing and research facilities in India, testing food products for nutrition, hygiene, adulteration and quality.
  • EFRAC also conducts food safety clinics and provides food safety kits to raise consumer awareness about food safety.

The safe food imperative is more pressing than ever, and investments in market-led capacity building solutions are far outsized by the FBD burden. We want to hear your thoughts on supporting more companies like EFRAC and Gati Kausar towards a safer and healthier world!