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Research papers on Food waste reduction

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  1. Quantification of food waste per product group along the food supply chain in the European Union: a mass flow analysis

    Carla Caldeira, Valeria De Laurentiis, Sara Corrado, et al. · 2019 · Resources Conservation and Recycling · 497 citations

    In 2015, the United Nations defined the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), which include a target (12.3) on food waste. The target requires "by 2030, to halve per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels and to reduce food losses along production and supply chains, including post-harvest losses". The target has increased awareness about the food waste problem and boosted research in food waste quantification. Nevertheless, there is a lack of studies that adopt a systematic approach to account for food waste providing disaggregated values per food supply chain stage and per food groups. Such an approach could support policy makers in prioritizing interventions for food was

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  2. Review: Consumption-stage food waste reduction interventions – What works and how to design better interventions

    Christian Reynolds, Liam Goucher, Tom E. Quested, et al. · 2019 · Food Policy · 488 citations

    Food waste prevention has become an issue of international concern, with Sustainable Development Goal 12.3 aiming to halve per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels by 2030. However there is no review that has considered the effectiveness of interventions aimed at preventing food waste in the consumption stages of the food system. This significant gap, if filled, could help support those working to reduce food waste in the developed world, providing knowledge of what interventions are specifically effective at preventing food waste. This paper fills this gap, identifying and summarizing food-waste prevention interventions at the consumption/consumer stage of the supply c

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  4. Food waste accounting along global and European food supply chains: State of the art and outlook

    Sara Corrado, Serenella Sala · 2018 · Waste Management · 310 citations

    Contributing to environmental pollution and resources depletion, food waste represents a considerable inefficiency of the global food system. Within the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 12.3, countries committed to halve per-capita food waste generated at retail and consumer levels and to decrease food waste along the food supply chain by 2030. Reliable and detailed information on food waste is of utmost importance for the actors of the food supply chain, organizations and governments willing to implement and monitor effective reduction strategies. The present paper is a review of existing studies on food waste generation at the global and European scales and aims primarily at des

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  5. Food Waste Drivers in Europe, from Identification to Possible Interventions

    Massimo Canali, Pegah Amani, L.H. Aramyan, et al. · 2016 · Sustainability · 235 citations

    The growing volumes of food globally lost or wasted and implications for food security and sustainability have raised the concern of researchers, governments, international organizations and grass-root movements. Much research and experiences investigating food waste causes and drivers focus on one specific segment of the food supply chain and limit the analysis to the situation of one or few countries, while the few studies of wider geographical scope also target other relevant and diversified objectives (e.g., food waste definition, quantification, environmental and economic impacts, and recommendations for interventions). This study, carried out by a network of European institutions invol

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  6. Food waste accounting methodologies: Challenges, opportunities, and further advancements

    S. Corrado, C. Caldeira, Mattias Eriksson, et al. · 2019 · Global Food Security · 207 citations

    About one third of the food produced globally is wasted along the food chain, representing a burden for the environment and an inefficiency of the food system. Tackling food waste is a priority on the global political agenda to guarantee food security. Defining a methodology for food waste quantification is key to monitoring progress towards the achievement of reduction targets. This paper summarises the outcomes of a workshop on food waste accounting co-organised by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre and Directorate-General on Health and Food Safety with the aim of stimulating harmonisation of methodologies, identifying challenges, opportunities, and further advancement for foo

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  8. A systems approach to assessing environmental and economic effects of food loss and waste interventions in the United States.

    M. Muth, Cathleen Birney, A. Cuéllar, et al. · 2019 · The Science of the total environment · 112 citations

    Reducing food loss and waste (FLW) is critical for achieving healthy diets from sustainable food systems. Within the United States, 30% to 50% of food produced is lost or wasted. These losses occur throughout multiple stages of the food supply chain from production to consumption. Reducing FLW prevents the waste of land, water, energy, and other resources embedded in food and is therefore essential to improving the sustainability of food systems. Despite the increasing number of studies identifying FLW reduction as a societal imperative, we lack the information needed to assess fully the effectiveness of interventions along the supply chain. In this paper, we synthesize the available literat

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  9. Consumers in a Sustainable Food Supply Chain (COSUS): Understanding Consumer Behavior to Encourage Food Waste Reduction

    Harald Rohm, Marije Oostindjer, Jessica Aschemann‐Witzel, et al. · 2017 · Foods · 109 citations

    Consumers are directly and indirectly responsible for a significant fraction of food waste which, for a large part, could be avoided if they were willing to accept food that is suboptimal, i.e., food that deviates in sensory characteristics (odd shape, discoloration), or that has a best-before date which is approaching or has passed, but that is still perfectly fine to eat. The choice to accept or discard suboptimal food is taken either before or after purchase (hence, in the retail store or in the household). The aim of the European research project COSUS (Consumers in a sustainable food supply chain) was to increase consumer acceptance of suboptimal food, before and after purchase, by impl

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  10. Reducing Food Loss and Waste: Setting a Global Action Agenda

    Katie Flanagan, K. Robertson, C. Hanson · 2019 · World Resources Institute · 103 citations

    The world is at a critical moment in the fight against food loss and waste, with momentum building to address the 1.3 billion tons of food that is lost or wasted each year. But action is not yet at a pace needed to achieve SDG Target 12.3 by 2030. The report Reducing Food Loss and Waste: Setting a Global Action Agenda identifies a three-pronged approach to halve food loss and waste by 2030. The report calls on governments, companies, farmers, consumers, and everyone in between to: “Target-Measure-Act”: Set food loss and waste reduction targets, measure to identify hotspots of food loss and waste and monitor progress over time, and take action on the hotspots; pursue a short “to-do” list per

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  12. Waste watchers: A food waste reduction intervention among households in Arizona

    Christopher M. Wharton, Maricarmen Vizcaíno, Andrew Berardy, et al. · 2020 · Resources Conservation and Recycling · 78 citations

    Food waste is a globally significant issue, contributing to financial losses and adversely impacting the environment across the supply chain. In developed countries, the issue is especially problematic among consumers. The present study conducted a novel, evidence-based and theoretically founded household food waste intervention designed to explore how a multifaceted educational approach could impact food waste generated in the home. Households in the City of Phoenix, AZ, USA, were recruited to participate in the study (N = 53). Enrolled participants completed a baseline week, a 5-week intervention, and a follow-up week. Education and strategic information were delivered via a website specif

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  13. Food waste reduction in supply chains through innovations: a review

    L.H. Aramyan, Matthew Grainger, Katja Logatcheva, et al. · 2020 · Measuring Business Excellence · 63 citations

    Purpose Agri-food supply chains are facing a number of challenges, which cause inefficiencies resulting in the waste of natural and economic resources, and in negative environmental and social impacts. Food waste (FW) is a result of such inefficiencies and supply chain actors search for economically viable innovations to prevent and reduce it. This study aims to analyse the drivers and the barriers that affect the decision of supply chain operators to adopt innovations (technological – TI, organisational – OI and marketing – MI) to reduce FW. Design/methodology/approach The analysis was carried out using a four-step approach that included: a literature review to identify factors affecting th

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  14. Reducing Water Scarcity by Reducing Food Loss and Waste

    Landon T. Marston, Q. Read, S. Brown, et al. · 2021 · 34 citations

    Water scarcity is a pervasive threat to society that is expected to intensify alongside a growing and more affluent population and a changing climate. In this paper, we review the existing literature to assess the potential of lessening water scarcity by reducing food loss and waste. Existing studies reveal the scope of food loss and waste and its accompanying impact on water resources, thereby providing a foundation for policy action. We highlight existing or proposed food loss and waste reduction measures and review available evidence concerning their impact on water resources. Our review reveals that there is a deficit of research that can guide specific policy interventions aimed at miti

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  17. Examining Nutrition and Food Waste Trade-offs Using an Obesity Prevention Context.

    Brenna Ellison, M. Prescott · 2021 · Journal of nutrition education and behavior · 23 citations

    Obesity and food waste are related issues, both exacerbated by an overabundance of food. Efforts to reduce food waste can have varying unintended, obesity-related consequences, which further underscores the need for a systems approach to food waste reduction. Yet, these 2 issues are rarely examined together. It is the authors' point of view that for nutrition educators and other public health practitioners to develop interventions that simultaneously address food waste and obesity, they need to understand how actions at the consumer-level may impact waste and its related food system consequences earlier in the supply chain.

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  19. Trade-Off Analyses of Food Loss and Waste Reduction and Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Food Supply Chains

    Jan Broeze, Xuezhen Guo, Heike Axmann · 2023 · Sustainability · 11 citations

    Food losses and waste (FLW) reduction and mitigating climate impact in food chains are priorities in achieving sustainable development goals. However, many FLW-reducing interventions induce additional greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, for example, from energy, fuel, or packaging. The net effect of such interventions (expressed in GHG emissions per unit of food available for consumption) is not obvious, as is illustrated in a number of case studies. We recommend that in the decision to take on FLW-reducing interventions, the trade-offs on sustainability impacts (such as GHG emissions) are taken into consideration. Since FLW induce demand and extra operations in all stages along a supply chain,

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  20. Food waste challenges at downstream interfaces: a triple bottom line dilemma

    Ananya Bhattacharya, Ambika Zutshi, D. Prajogo · 2022 · Australasian Journal of Environmental Management · 8 citations

    ABSTRACT This article focuses on the ongoing challenge of reduction of food waste at three downstream interfaces and food waste impact on triple bottom line dimensions: environmental, social (including ethical) and economic. The interplay between downstream interfaces (consumers-retailers; consumers-food service businesses; consumers-households) of food supply chain and areas of food waste accumulation is discussed in the article. The findings are based on a two-step method: first, a systematic literature review of the published studies on food waste between 2008 and 2020, and second, theme development to understand food waste at the three interfaces and to develop propositions for future re

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  21. Green Technology Innovations for Carbon Footprint Reduction in the Restaurant Industry: A Systematic Review

    Shu-Yen Yang, Chien-Er Huang, John Kennedy Mwangi, et al. · 2025 · Aerosol and Air Quality Research · 8 citations

    Restaurants contribute a significant carbon footprint (CF), with the food service sector responsible for 18% of food-related global CF. This impact arises from energy-intensive processes, carbon-intensive ingredient sourcing, inefficient waste management, and upstream and downstream supply chain activities. Notably, commercial kitchens exhibit carbon footprints 2–5 times greater than those of other commercial spaces. This review synthesizes recent empirical and theoretical literature on carbon footprint reduction strategies in restaurants, with emphasis on the application of life cycle assessment (LCA), IPCC methodologies, and material flow analysis (MFA) across diverse regional contexts. Gr

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  22. An application of machine learning to classify food waste interventions from a food supply chain perspective

    Qiongfang Zou, C. N. Bezuidenhout, Sheikh Imran Ishrat · 2024 · British Food Journal · 8 citations

    Purpose The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the efficacy of machine learning (ML) in managing natural language processing tasks, specifically by developing two ML models to systematically classify a substantial number of food waste interventions. Design/methodology/approach A literature review was undertaken to gather global food waste interventions. Subsequently, two ML models were designed and trained to classify these interventions into predefined supply chain-related groups and intervention types. To demonstrate the use of the models, a meta-analysis was performed to uncover patterns amongst the interventions. Findings The performance of the two classification models underscores

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  23. Food Waste Reduction and Sustainable Food Systems: Strategies, Challenges, and Future Directions

    B. S. Swetha, Itigi Prabhakar, Veeresh, et al. · 2024 · Journal of Scientific Research and Reports · 7 citations

    Food waste is a pressing global concern with profound economic, environmental, and social implications. This paper explores strategies to mitigate food waste across the food supply chain, from production to consumption. We delve into innovative technologies, policy interventions, and behavioral changes aimed at reducing food waste. Additionally, we address the challenges and complexities of food waste reduction efforts, including the need for systemic changes and the role of consumer behavior. Five subheadings, spanning topics such as food recovery, circular economy approaches, and sustainable agriculture, provide a comprehensive overview of the multifaceted issue of food waste. This paper u

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