1,721,012 research outputs found
Does packaging matter? Energy consumption of pre-packed salads
No full textPurpose – Packed salads are popular in many countries of the world. The purpose of this paper is to assess the energy footprint of these products from farm gate to retail gate, compared with unpacked produces distributed by retailers and farmers’ markets in Italy. Design/methodology/approach – Life cycle assessment served as methodological background, even if the analysis was focused on direct and indirect energy consumption. Three supply chains were analysed: packed (P-S) and unpacked (U-S) sold in supermarkets, and unpacked produce sold locally (U-L). Energy inputs were accounted for processing, packaging, refrigeration, transport, and distribution. Data were collected from available literature and from interviews with key experts in the transformation, packaging, and retail sectors. Energy inputs were computed for 1 kg of finished edible product (kgp). Findings – Packed salads require an elevated energy input ranging from 16 to 37 MJ kgp−1. Input energy is mostly required for packaging and refrigeration. By comparison, the U-L chain requires about one tenth of the energy (1.8-2.6 MJ.kgp−1), but local sold produces attain the best performance with only 0.6-1.2 MJ.kgp−1, since they do not need processing, refrigeration, and disposable packages. Packed products mainly rely on the availability of cheap fossil fuels and all the sector has significantly suffered after the oil shock of 2008. Increasing energy costs may lead the price of the commodity out of the market. Originality/value – The paper addresses the subject of energy consumption in a popular sector of processed food to which at present little attention has been paid in the domain of food research. © 2015, Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Background paper on the economics of food loss and waste
No full textEstimates by FAO (2011a) that the world loses or wastes nearly a third of the food produced for human consumption has sent shock waves across the globe and led to calls for action by world leaders and civil society groups. What exacerbates the concern is that the food loss and waste is occurring at a time of increasing food prices and worsening food insecurity for many.
The issue is of high importance for FAO in its efforts to combat hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition, at the same time enabling inclusive and efficient agricultural and food systems.
Food losses and waste have a negative impact on the environment since they represent a waste of production factors and energy resources, and contribute to greenhouse gasses emissions. Consequently, the issue relates to the third goal of FAO to promote the sustainable management and utilization of natural resources, for the benefit of present and future generations.
It is against this background that FAO launched the Global Initiative on Food Loss and Waste Reduction (also called SAVE FOOD) in 2011 jointly with the private sector trade fair organizer Messe Düsseldorf GmbH1. The initiative comprises four dynamically inter-related pillar of undertaking research and assessments, supporting evidence based policies, strategies and programmes; awareness raising; and the supporting pillar of coordination and collaboration of worldwide initiatives and partnership.
Under the initiative, there have been attempts to define and delineate between food losses and waste. Food loss refers to the decrease in edible food mass available for human consumption throughout the different segments of the supply chain. In addition to quantitative loss, food products can also face a deterioration of quality, leading to a loss of economic and nutritional value. Food waste refers to food losses resulting from decisions to discard food that still has value. Food waste is most often associated with the behaviour of the retailers of the food service sector and of the consumers, but food waste and losses take place all along food supply chains (FAO, 2012).
Food loss is mainly caused by inefficiencies in the use and allocation of resources along the food supply chain, like poor infrastructure and logistics, lack of technology, insufficient skills, and knowledge and management capacity of supply chain actors, as well as poor access to markets. In addition, natural disasters, weather and climatic conditions, negative economic trends might play a role too.
Food waste relates mainly to the behaviour of retailers and consumers and it is a major problem at the global level, since throwing away food is often cheaper than using or re- sing, and in many situations - mainly, but not only, in industrialized nations - consumers can afford to waste food. Food waste is a major concern as more and more countries become urbanized. The world population is expected to increase by 2.3 billion by 2050, passing from 7.0 billion to 9.3 billion (United Nations, 2011). The 2011 Revision of the World Urbanization prospects acknowledged that half of the population of Asia is expected to live in urban areas by 2020, while Africa is likely to reach a 50 percent urbanization rate in 2035. Population growth is becoming largely an urban phenomenon concentrated in the developing world (David Satterthwaite, 2007). Urbanization is expected to keep on rising in both the more developed and the less developed regions so that, by 2050, urban dwellers will likely account for 86 percent of the population in the more developed regions and for 64 percent in the less developed ones. Overall, the world population is expected to be 67 percent urban in 2050 (United Nations, 2012) putting more pressure on dwindling resources to feed the growing population.
A fundamental question on food loss and waste is on economic and market conditions that explain them. Essentially, why these losses and waste occur given the rational behaviour expected of farmers, firms, consumers, and other stakeholders along agri-food supply chains. Moreover, we live in a world of scarce resources. This background paper is an attempt to shed light on this question
Italian consumers’ income and food waste behavior
Full text linkPurpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide insights on the relationships between consumers’ income and household food waste behaviors. Design/methodology/approach – Attitude toward food waste is a paradigmatic (economic) non-standard decision making. Based on behavioral economics concepts and empirical evidences, the study analyzes the frequency of household food waste and its main drivers with a focus on individual income. Through a panel of 1,403 Italian consumers, food waste behavior and its determinants are modeled for five food typologies using proportional odds models that adopt stepwise procedures and genetic algorithms. Findings – Results suggest the existence of complex relationships between per capita income and household food waste behavior. When considering food typologies that include high value added products, this relation can be explained by an inverse U-shaped curve: mid-to-low income consumers purchase higher amounts of lower quality products and waste more food. Research limitations/implications – The research highlights the importance of understanding the main socio-economic and behavioral determinants of household food waste, and the need for further researches. Practical implications – The research motivates specific pricing, commercial and policy strategies as well as organizational technological, and educational solutions to prevent/reduce household food waste. Social implications – Lower income class consumers show a greater attitude to waste certain food typologies. In turn, this implies that food waste can further worse economic inequality and relative poverty. Originality/value – The study identifies different patterns of relationship among individual income and consumers’ food waste behavior, and describes the conditions that limit a household “Food Waste Kuznets Curve.
Do discounted food products end up in the bin? An investigation into the link between deal-prone shopping behaviour and quantities of household food waste
Full text linkHousehold food waste is considered to be the largest share of food waste along the food supply chain. Given that its recoverability is also more challenging compared to food waste in other stages of the chain, most studies on household food waste adopt a pre-emptive approach by aiming to identify and address consumer beliefs, attitudes and actions that are linked to food waste. In scientific literature, household food waste has often been studied in relation to the habit of purchasing discounted food products (DFP). However, findings have been contradictory. Specifically, while some authors found that deal-prone consumers are usually of lower income and therefore display a wiser and more attentive attitude towards grocery shopping, other authors reported that the purchase of discounted products was usually linked to compulsive shopping, hence resulting in higher food waste quantities at home. Due to these discrepant findings, a definitive answer on the impact of DFP on household food waste does not currently exist in the literature. This paper analyses the correlation between the purchase of DFP and weekly household food waste quantities. To do so, we examine (a) the results of a food waste diary experiment carried out on a representative sample of 385 households in Italy in February 2017, and (b) the results of a 23-items Computer Assisted Web Interview survey administered to the same householders, in which shopping habits were investigated. Results revealed no evidence of either a positive or negative relationship between the purchase of DFP and household food waste quantities. Frequency of grocery shopping was the only variable found to have a significant impact on household food waste quantities
Are questionnaires a reliable method to measure food waste? A pilot study on Italian households
No full textPurpose: The purpose of this paper is to assess the reliability of questionnaires as a method of quantifying household food waste (FW), thus providing context regarding the validity of existing Italian estimates. Design/methodology/approach: A total of 30 households were involved in a diary study that was conducted for one week. The participating households were first asked about their FW quantities in a questionnaire. Half of the households who filled their diaries properly were then audited through waste sorting analysis performed on their garbage. Non-parametric tests were used to test for differences in FW estimates between audited and non-audited households, as well as differences among estimates obtained through different quantification methodologies. Findings: Edible FW was estimated to be 489 grams per week based on questionnaires, and 1,035 grams per week based on diaries. In the audited sub-sample of households, FW estimates were 334 grams per week based on questionnaires, 818 grams per week based on diaries and 1,058 grams per week based on waste sorting analysis. Research limitations/implications: Given the small sample size in the present study, future studies can utilize larger samples to assess whether the differences identified in estimates can be replicated. Future studies can also inquire into the behavioral biases that led consumers to underestimate their FW. Practical implications: Results of the present study point against the use of questionnaires to quantify household FW, hence raising some doubt on the reliability of existent Italian estimates. Where waste sorting is unfeasible, the use of adjustment methods or diaries is suggested to better inform policies. Originality/value: This study is one of the first on FW quantification that tests three different methodologies on the same sample, and is the first to do so in Italy, where estimates are still very poor
Preliminary assessment of a methodology for determining food waste in primary school canteens
No full textReducing food losses and waste is increasingly seen as a main way to improve sustainability of food systems, both in itself and as a way to question and improve the efficiency of resource use. Numerous studies have stressed the need to improve data collection and analysis of main causes of food losses and waste particularly in the last parts of the food chain. The project REDUCE, financed by the Italian Ministry of Environment and Protection of Land and Sea, aims to improve data collection on waste in the last stages of food chains and to identify innovative solutions to reduce it. This paper presents the first results of a study developed as part of this project. The objective of this study is to devise an innovative methodology to assess food waste in school canteens that is at the same time accurate, easy to transpose, does not require external support, provides all the useful data on quantity and nutritional quality of food waste (to enable comparison of food intake in children with dietary recommendations such as the Dietary Guidelines for Italians) and involves all concerned actors: kitchen employees and teachers, as well as the pupils themselves, so that monitoring becomes an instrument of active learning
Food waste in school catering: An Italian case study
Full text linkFood losses and waste are currently at the heart of academic debates, civil society initiatives, and political agendas. This paper investigates food waste in school catering services focusing on six schools located in the municipality of Verona (Italy). It aims to quantify food waste, as measure of food catering inefficiency, to identify the main causes and to suggest a set of prevention and reduction interventions. For these purposes food waste is intended as all the products discarded from the food chain while still preserving their nutritional value and complying with safety standards. The work shows a significant level of inefficiency in the school catering services, measured as the amount of food processed and still perfectly edible, but not served during the meals. On average more than 15% of the overall processed food is wasted. Among the causes identified in this study, four of them resulted more relevant than others because of their implications and impact on prevention: the lack of attention to dietary habits, the rigid food procurement specifications, the menu composition, and the meal presentation
Addressing food wastage in the framework of the UN Sustainable Development Goals
Full text linkWaste management operators are able to see huge opportunities for energy and material recovery from the source-separated organic fraction of municipal solid waste (MSW), thanks to anaerobic digestion and composting. Still, when widening the perspective to the overall food chain, such benefits become negligible in comparison with the impacts of food production.
Therefore, all efforts should be made at the different levels in order to address food losses and waste.
The food waste issue is a key part of the UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) number 12, ‘Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns.’ Like all products, the environmental impacts related to food occur in the production, processing and distribution phases, as well as at the household level, that is, during the ‘use phase.’ But contrary to conventional items, food waste generation is intimately linked to other societal issues, such as dietary choices and eating habits, food culture and traditions. The problem is, in fact, overlapping with issues, such as overconsumption of food leading to obesity and consequent health issues, and to the unequal availability of food among rich and poor countries. According to the UN, 1.3 billion tonnes of food is wasted every year around the world, while almost 1 billion people go undernourished and another 795 million go hungry.
At the same time 2 billion people globally are overweight or obese, with overconsumption of food being detrimental to human health and to the environment. The food sector accounts for around 30% of the world’s total energy consumption and for around 22% of total greenhouse gas emissions.
Ambitious targets have been set within SDG 12, which include implementing a 10-year framework of programmes on sustainable consumption and production, aimed at halving, by 2030, the per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels, and at reducing food losses along production and supply chains, including post-harvest losses.
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) adds some key findings to the global picture of food waste. Among others, of particular interest are the differences between developing and developed countries. In the former, food waste and losses occur mainly at early stages of the food chain and are owing to financial, managerial and technical constraints in harvesting techniques as well as storage and cooling facilities. In developed countries, food is wasted and lost mainly at later stages in the supply chain, with the careless behaviour of consumers playing a major role. The wider availability of money and the aggressive marketing of food products, both at the level of the media advertising and of the large-scale retail industry, drive people to indulge in excessive purchase and in its consequent loss because of different reasons.
They include ineffective management of the household stock, personal tastes, excessive size of servings, and misunderstanding of the ‘best before’ or ‘sell by’ indications on labels.
Building up on such considerations, the Italian Ministry of the Environment funded, in 2015, a biennial project on food waste, targeting research, education and communication issues. The REDUCE project (the acronym standing for Research, EDUcation and Communication, in Italian language) aims at contributing to the prevention and reduction of food losses at the national level, according to the targets set by the national waste prevention programme.
Such targets are defined in terms of total waste (not of individual fractions), and are envisaging a 5% decrease of municipal waste to be reached at 2020 with respect to 2010. The decrease is not to be calculated as an absolute value, but with respect to the gross domestic product (GDP) variation, in order to achieve decoupling of waste generation from macro-economic indicators.
The project is led by the University of Bologna, with three other academic partners and one public authority responsible for the food hygiene and nutrition.
Specific targets of the REDUCE project are:
•• the improvement of the knowledge base on the amount and the reasons behind food losses, specifically targeting the downstream food chain (distribution, canteens, household), including the assessment methodologies;
•• the analysis of food waste composition at the treatment plants where it is delivered;
•• the estimate of the environmental impacts of food waste, accounted with the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) LCA methodology;
•• the promotion of food waste prevention criteria within regional waste prevention plans, as well as within public bids for collective catering services;
•• the preparation of ‘manuals of good sanitary practices’ for food donation;
•• to raise awareness among consumers on the topic of food waste;
•• to increase knowledge among children about food waste by creating an educational kit;
•• to promote the sharing of good practices for waste prevention.
Since the project is close to its end, some preliminary results are available. Analysis of food waste at the retail-chains level reveals major losses for fruit and vegetables (about 34%), for bread products (19%) and for dairy products (13%). Of the total food waste, it is estimated that about 35% by weight is suitable for human consumption, and then it can be recovered for donations. As for Addressing food wastage in the framework of the UN Sustainable Development Goals the reasons for such losses, damages by customers and excessive internal production of food were outlined, in addition to the more traditional ones.
Food waste at school canteens was monitored in 73 schools across Italy, for a total of 250,000 individual servings. About 20% of prepared food was directly disposed, with 100 g of food wasted daily by each child. This corresponds to an estimated economic value of €230 per capita per year.
Wastage at the household level was monitored, for the first time in Italy, for a sample of about 400 families spread around the country, who were asked to self-account for their food wastage during 1 week of normal life. The recorded average was about 530 g per capita per week, with 60% of food waste turning out to be edible, that is, potentially avoidable. Once again, major losses were found for vegetables, milk and fruit. The first reason for edible food wastage was the exceedance of the expiry date, the second one the personal tastes.
Finally, waste composition analyses were carried out on the residual waste and on the organic fraction separated at the source.
The total avoidable food waste turned out to be 27 kg per inhabitant per year on average, dominated once again by vegetables (35%), bread (25%) and fruit (17%).
What has emerged is that raising awareness and educating are two major pillars for reducing food waste, in order to influence the consumers’ behaviour. Awareness can be more easily raised by stressing the monetary value of food waste losses, but a proper communication of the environmental impacts can also help.
Thanks to the results of the project, new methodologies for assessing wastage at the different stages of the food chain have been defined and will be made available to the Italian institutions, to allow for a systematic monitoring of food waste.
Waste Management & Research serves as a forum for exchanging research expertise and scientific ideas supporting the development and application of novel waste management options. Thus, Waste Management & Research invites researchers and practitioners to submit manuscripts focusing on ways to reduce food as well as other waste. Since the topic encompasses both technical aspects as well as societal ones, a holistic approach is essential in order to avoid the risk of oversimplifying the problem
Virtual Water in Diet, Shopping and Food Waste
No full textThis book pursues a comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach in order to analyze the relationship between water and food security. It demonstrates that most of the world's economies lack sufficient water resources to secure their populations' food requirements and are thus virtual importers of water. One of the most inspiring cases, which this book is rooted in, is Italy: the third largest net virtual water importer on earth. The book also shows that the sustainability of water depends on the extent to which societies recognize and take into account its value and contribution to agricultural production. Due to the large volumes of water required for food production, water and food security are in fact inextricably linked. Contributions from leading international experts and scholars in the field use the concepts of virtual water and water footprints to explain this relationship, with an eye to the empirical examples of wine, tomato and pasta production in Italy. This book provides a valuable resource for all researchers, professionals, policymakers and everyone else interested in water and food security
The dark side of retail food waste: Evidences from in-store data
Full text linkThis study tackles the quantification of in-store food waste, with a specific focus on the distinction between the edible and inedible fraction. A meta-analysis of the studies dealing with retail food waste quantification is provided to identify the results obtained so far. Then, the mass and value of food waste produced in 2015 at one retail store in Italy is analysed, basing on the store's food waste records and on the reports of a redistribution initiative involving the edible fraction of the food waste produced. In one year, 70.6 tons of food (for a value of nearly 170,000 â¬) are wasted, mostly bread and fresh fruit and vegetables. The edible fraction accounts for 35% of the total food waste, mostly from fresh meat and bakery departments. Results also disclose a significant amount of unrecorded food waste, confirming that many gaps exist in the food waste recording procedure at retail stores
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