research on food waste management

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Food waste management strategies

Cradle-to-grave greenhouse gas emissions within the global food systems are responsible for nearly half of all emissions. Alarmingly, a significant portion of these emissions is linked to avoidable food waste. Customer negligence and unequal technological development exacerbate this issue. While one billion people struggle to secure their next meal, one-third to half of the food from global dining tables ends up in landfills daily. This wastage, often caused by disconnects in post-farming stages and delayed logistics, results in the loss of up to one-third or even half of food commodities throughout the food supply chain. In the face of this tremendous waste, it becomes imperative to minimize its negative impacts during the food waste management stage. Regrettably, food waste management strategies face numerous challenges.

Existing food waste management has led to significant problems, including uncontrolled methane gas emissions, environmental pollution, and the proliferation of pests. These adverse consequences have prompted the development of improved food waste management strategies, particularly in recent years. These strategies include education and awareness campaigns promoting food conservation and the transition from food waste land disposal to advanced technologies such as composting and anaerobic digestion. Excitingly, some recent experiments show promise in converting food waste into useful chemicals. However, evaluating these efforts from a broader perspective, such as their impact on farmers' incomes or the profits of major food exporters, remains a subject of debate. Moreover, factors like dietary preferences, income disparities, equity, and nutritional value are often overlooked, adding complexity and uncertainty to the food waste management landscape.

This Collection aims to address the following research topics, which are crucial in shaping effective food waste management strategies:

• Tailored Food Waste Management Strategies: Explore strategies tailored to specific regions, food sectors, or food commodities. This includes policy-driven approaches, quantifying consequences, technical enhancements in the food supply chain, diverse downstream food waste treatments, and comparative assessments of treatment technologies based on life cycle analysis and cost-benefit analysis.
• Climate Change Impact: Assess the climate change impact of various food waste management strategies. This involves quantifying greenhouse gas emissions resulting from food waste across different sectors, stages, and regions of the food systems.
• Influences on Food Waste Production : Examine factors that influence food waste production and management, whether from a bottom-up or top-down perspective. This may encompass adjusted farming structures, shifts in food supply chains, government subsidies, advertising, and more.
• Resilience of Food Waste Management Strategies: Analyze the robustness and stability of food waste management strategies in the face of environmental shocks, socioeconomic dynamics, aging populations, and other critical variables.
• Data Science and Machine Learning: Investigate the role of Data Science and Machine Learning in enhancing food waste management, both locally and globally. Explore applications of these technologies to optimize food waste reduction efforts.
• Consumer Behaviour: Study consumer behaviour and its influence on food waste management. Conduct case studies using questionnaires to assess customer behaviours across various attributes such as gender, age, income, culture, and location.

By delving into these research areas, we aim to provide valuable insights and strategies for more effective and sustainable food waste management.

This Collection supports and amplifies research related to SDG 11, SDG 12, and SDG 13.

Ke Yin, PhD

Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, China

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Editorial article, editorial: sustainable food waste management.

• 1 EHL Hospitality Business School, HES-SO University of Applied Sciences and Arts Western Switzerland, Lausanne, Switzerland
• 2 Basque Culinary Center, Faculty of Gastronomic Sciences, University Mondragon, Gipuzkoa, Spain
• 3 Maine Business School, Innovation Program, University of Maine, Orono, ME, United States
• 4 College of Business, Valparaiso University, Valparaiso, IN, United States

Editorial on the Research Topic Sustainable Food Waste Management

Relevant Contributions to Sustainable Food Waste Management

The Research Topic Sustainable Food Waste Management aims to be a forum to discuss the most salient issues of the current findings on food loss and waste and to identify novel areas of applied research. Food waste is linked to landfill disposal, resource consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, social poverty, and inequality ( Redlingshöfer et al., 2020 ). Firms have a vital role to play in solving the food waste challenge ( Papargyropoulou et al., 2014 ). Boosting innovative and sustainable management practices to prevent and minimize wastage is essential to meet the United Nations' call to halve food loss and waste by 2030 (SDG target 12.3) ( Lemaire and Limbourg, 2019 ).

Accordingly, there is a large body of research on food loss and waste reduction at the upstream end of the global food chain—agricultural practices followed by producers, and food processing, manufacture, and distribution to retailers ( Martin-Rios et al., 2018 ; Filimonau and Delysia, 2019 ). Until recently, there have been few studies on food waste practices downstream in the supply chain, including market centers and retailers, tourism and hospitality, and food services such as restaurants, mobile food services, event catering and other F&B activities ( Gössling et al., 2011 ; Vizzoto et al., 2020 ; Martin-Rios et al., 2021 ). Firms in the downstream activities serve households and individual consumers. Hence, they are in a unique position to address this global food issue. Despite the significance of this issue to firms at the end of the global food chain, the managerial perspective on food waste practices is rarely studied in this context ( Messner et al., 2020 ).

Articles in this Research Topic address critical topics including the growing interest in sustainable food systems and emerging opportunities in food waste utilization and treatment technologies. Jones et al. show in their review the critical factors that impact food waste and examine emerging opportunities to advance the processing and by-products of food waste. Authors conclude that food waste studies vary significantly throughout the literature due to lack of unified focus on producer, volume, location, size, and treatment of food waste. Variance results in great difficulty identifying the most applicable method to minimize wastage.

Another set of articles look at different management practices to reduce wastage and the ecological footprint of the firms. Espeso et al. provide a set of best practices for producers, policy makers, innovators, and industry in shaping environmentally sustainable decisions for how olive leaf waste can be utilized and optimized. They do so by analyzing current processing methods and applications of the olive leaf waste in sectors relating to cattle feed, fertilizers, novel materials, energy generation, and food and pharmaceutical products.

In a similar vein, AlNouss et al. examine five fruit waste types: orange peels, banana peels, mango endocarp, apricot kernel shells, and date pits. Authors employed Aspen Plus simulation tool to develop a model to predict the pyrolysis product yields of the fruit wastes and to conclude that the generation of valuable commodities such as biochar, bio-oil, and syngas from fruit wastes through pyrolysis can minimize pollution and minimize issues related to the disposal of fruit waste.

Finally, Dey et al. focus on the waste streams derived from processing of agricultural products, including pomace (fruit and vegetable processing), hull/bran (grain milling), meal/cake (oil extraction), bagasse (sugar processing), brewer's spent grain (brewing), and cottonseed meal (cotton processing). Authors carry out a discussion of the by-product properties and their impacts on the extrudates and their nutritional profile, which is useful for food manufacturers and researchers to expand their applications.

Looking Forward and The Post-Pandemic Scenario

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has challenged the world, caused unprecedented global travel restrictions, stay-at-home orders and by and large the most severe disruption of the global economy since World War II. The impact of the crisis has been felt throughout the entire food value chain, its companies, and their people. Food systems utterly deserve a thorough debate on how to rebuild the sector to secure its longer-term sustainability, unite to stop climate change and contribute to making us a healthier and more productive society at the same time. As such, the post-pandemic scenario will offer new challenges and opportunities for research on food waste at every level: societal grand challenges, organizational disruptions and innovations, and us as individuals.

Future research has to broaden the discussion about the importance of quantification—measuring food waste and addressing the importance of having clear metrics to quantify waste and set targets to minimize its impact. Also, more research is needed to assess the positive impact of metrics on changing behavior and establishing new practices.

Another emerging area of research—one in which surprisingly there is a lack of conclusive results—is how to effect change in order to awaken awareness regarding food waste minimization and purposeful application of new institutional, management, and consumption practices in the aim of changing food establishments' relationship with food, establishing new management practices to handle food, and fostering awareness among consumers. For example, in the US food wastes may have increased as a result of new FDA's regulations preventing some companies from diverting lower quality byproducts to animal food products.

The response to the food wastage challenge must be a priority in a post-pandemic world—it requires more research, a shift at all levels of the food value chain, and better provision in relation with prevention measures and legislation.

Author Contributions

CM-R: conceptualization, writing the original draft, writing—review, and editing. JB, JA, and NE: writing—review and editing. All authors approved the submitted version.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Publisher's Note

All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article, or claim that may be made by its manufacturer, is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

Filimonau, V., and Delysia, A. (2019). Food waste management in hospitality operations: a critical review. Tourism Manag. 71, 234–245. doi: 10.1016/j.tourman.2018.10.009

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Gössling, S., Garrod, B., Aall, C., Hille, J., and Peeters, P. (2011). Food management in tourism: reducing tourism's carbon ‘foodprint'. Tourism Manag. 32, 534–543. doi: 10.1016/j.tourman.2010.04.006

Lemaire, A., and Limbourg, S. (2019). How can food loss and waste management achieve sustainable development goals? J. Clean. Prod. 234, 1221–1234. doi: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.06.226

Martin-Rios, C., Demen-Meier, C., Gössling, S., and Cornuz, C. (2018). Food waste management innovations in the foodservice industry. Waste Manag. 79, 196–206. doi: 10.1016/j.wasman.2018.07.033

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Martin-Rios, C., Hofmann, A., and Mackenzie, N. (2021). Sustainability-oriented innovations in food waste management technology. Sustainability 13, 210. doi: 10.3390/su13010210

Messner, R., Richards, C., and Johnson, H. (2020). The “Prevention Paradox”: Food waste prevention and the quandary of systemic surplus production. Agric. Hum. Values 37, 805–817. doi: 10.1007/s10460-019-10014-7

Papargyropoulou, E., Lozano, R., Steinberger, J. K., Wright, N., and bin Ujang, Z. (2014). The food waste hierarchy as a framework for the management of food surplus and food waste. J. Clean. Prod. 76, 106–115. doi: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2014.04.020

Redlingshöfer, B., Barles, S., and Weisz, H. (2020). Are waste hierarchies effective in reducing environmental impacts from food waste? A systematic review for OECD countries. Resour. Conserv. Recycl. 156, 104723. doi: 10.1016/j.resconrec.2020.104723

Vizzoto, F., Tessitore, S., Iraldo, F., and Testa, F. (2020). Passively concerned: horeca managers' recognition of the importance of food waste hardly leads to the adoption of more strategies to reduce it. Waste Manag. 107, 266–275. doi: 10.1016/j.wasman.2020.04.010

Keywords: food waste, food loss, management, innovation, sustainability, environmental sustainability, environmental impact, food value chain (FVC)

Citation: Martin-Rios C, Arboleya JC, Bolton J and Erhardt N (2022) Editorial: Sustainable Food Waste Management. Front. Sustain. Food Syst. 6:885250. doi: 10.3389/fsufs.2022.885250

Received: 27 February 2022; Accepted: 07 March 2022; Published: 30 March 2022.

Edited and reviewed by: José Antonio Teixeira , University of Minho, Portugal

Copyright © 2022 Martin-Rios, Arboleya, Bolton and Erhardt. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) . The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

*Correspondence: Carlos Martin-Rios, carlos.martin-rios@ehl.ch

This article is part of the Research Topic

Sustainable Food Waste Management

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Food Waste on Foodservice: An Overview through the Perspective of Sustainable Dimensions

Maísa lins.

1 Post-Graduate Program in Human Nutrition, University of Brasília, Brasília 70910-900, Brazil

Renata Puppin Zandonadi

2 Department of Nutrition, University of Brasília, Brasília 70910-900, Brazil; rb.bnu@zpataner (R.P.Z.); moc.liamg@inanigcv (V.C.G.)

António Raposo

3 CBIOS (Research Center for Biosciences and Health Technologies), Universidade Lusófona de Humanidades e Tecnologias, Campo Grande 376, 1749-024 Lisboa, Portugal

Veronica Cortez Ginani

Associated data.

The study did not report any data.

Food waste (FW) is a current, complex, and widely debated issue in various spheres of society. Globally, about 2.6 trillion dollars per year is lost because of wasted food. Part of FW is preventable, and it is necessary to identify where it occurs. In most cases, FW occurs at the end of the production chain (meal preparation and distribution). Identifying the main food service failures on FW is important for developing efficient strategies for reducing them. Therefore, this study aimed to perform a narrative review of the impacts caused by FW in food services considering the three dimensions of sustainability (social, economic, or environmental). Multiple reasons were identified in this review that impacts those three dimensions, such as the cost of wasted raw material, use of cleaning material, the energy consumption, salary of food handlers, the water footprint, the amounts of rest-intake, production waste, energy density wasted, use of organic food, and food donation. Identifying these aspects can contribute to reduce FW impacts for better sustainable development, develop tools to measure FW, and assist food service managers in minimizing FW.

1. Introduction

Food waste (FW) is a multifaceted and complex issue. It integrates sustainable production, which is also a continuous and multidimensional process and covers several parameters [ 1 ]. Studies and quantification of waste are hampered by various concepts and definitions on the subject, with no universal consensus [ 2 , 3 ].

Although there are numerous definitions in the scientific literature for FW, standardization is necessary to understand and study this subject. A review showed some of the most used terms and their definitions [ 4 ]. The term “food loss” generally refers to post-harvest losses; loss of food (wheter it is safe or not safe for human consumption) that is discarded by some “defect”; or the unintentional food disposal that occurs before the meal’s production [ 5 , 6 ]. The term “surplus food” is related to the excesses produced, but not ingested by any human, even under correct conservation conditions [ 7 , 8 ]. The definition of “food waste” includes “food loss” and “surplus food” [ 6 , 9 ].

Sachs [ 10 ] highlighted that FW influences three sustainability pillars (economic, social, and environmental) and one must seek the population’s quality of life in regard to environmental balance to transform the current production form into sustainable development [ 10 ]. However, the potential impacts caused by FW from food services considering the sustainability dimensions were not well explored by literature. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) [ 5 ] estimated the worldwide cost of FW to be close to 2.6 trillion dollars of losses per year, considering the sustainability dimensions (about 700 billion dollars of environmental costs, a trillion in the economic scope, and 900 billion in the social scope).

The impact of FW from the final phase of the food production chain stands out because of several costs along with the meal production, including non-renewable energy sources, food handlers’ salaries, use of products to clean the area and sanitize vegetables and fruits, among others [ 11 ]. A study demonstrated that 60% of food is discarded in consumption and food services are responsible for 34% of this discard [ 12 ].

Considering that FW squanders many natural resources (impacting sustainability) mainly at the end of the food production chain, food recovery could prevent surplus food from being disposed of in a landfill [ 13 ], providing new food uses, such as feeding insecure populations. A narrative review was performed to identify the technical, regulatory, and social context relationships between food recovery and food safety in U.S. foodservice settings [ 13 ]. The authors identified the additional steps in the foodservice process that stem from food recovery (increased potential for cross-contamination and hazard amplification due to temperature variations; the potential risk factors, transmission routes, and major hazards). The hazard identification step could provide strategies to best manage food safety hazards in recovery in foodservice settings. However, insufficient data and unclear regulatory guidelines are barriers to implementing food-recovery-safe food service practices [ 13 ].

It is a great challenge to develop and find studies that measure the social, environmental, and economic impacts of waste within foodservice. Some factors must be considered throughout the food production impacting the economy, environment, and health of those who eat meals outside or at home. In a recent systematic review by Dhir et al. [ 14 ], the authors identified 58 studies related directly to FW in the profit sector of hospitality and food services (HaFS). They highlighted a critical research gap related to analysis among these studies, such as the narrow focus of prior studies, underestimating the quantity of waste, limited geographic scope, limited breadth of analysis in terms of mediating and moderating variables, and lack of theoretical frameworks. The authors indicated some potential research areas, such as advances in quantification methods to measure FW, utilization of diverse research methods and variables, deeper diagnoses of interventions and nudges to create awareness about FW, and improved theoretical perspectives. Exploring the three sustainability dimensions involving FW in the food sector can contribute to deepen the subject and fill this gap. The present study observes this gap and poses unprecedented aspects that must be discussed and investigated in greater detail.

Therefore, it is necessary to identify where and how waste occurs to minimize it, being this the primary goal of the present review. We hypothesize that the knowledge about social, economic, and environmental impacts of FW can help develop strategies to reduce it, strengthen local sustainability, and highlight the importance of public policies that encourage sustainable actions in restaurants. A recent review [ 15 ] reaffirms the need for a more comprehensive approach to foodservice FW, suggesting that it is necessary to face the problem from a holistic view. Hence, considering the FW on foodservice through the perspective of sustainable dimensions, it is possible to see the problem in its entirety. In this sense, this study aimed to review the literature on the impacts caused by FW in food services to show the enormity of variables that are impacted by FW in the three dimensions of sustainability, emphasizing the importance of developing tools that make it possible to measure them and assist food service managers to minimize FW and its impacts.

This narrative review was performed following three steps: conducting the search, reviewing abstracts and full-texts, and discussing results. For this, the PubMed, EM-BASE, Scopus, Science Direct, Web of Science, Science Direct, and Google Scholar databases were searched to identify the relevant studies, according to the development of the review. The final search was conducted in October 2020 and included English language-based international articles, online reports, and electronic books. The keyword “food waste” was used combined with other terms such as restaurant, foodservice, school canteens, school food programs, leftover, economic impact, social impact, environmental impact, or sustainability. After the complete search, the abstracts were read to ensure that they address the topic of interest. All duplicates were removed, and the abstracts of the remaining articles were reviewed to ensure that they address the review inclusion criteria. The eligible criteria were studies that analyzed FW in at least one of the three sustainability dimensions (social, economic, or environmental). Therefore, the studies of interest focusing on foodservice, FW, and sustainable dimensions were summarized and synthesized to integrate the narrative review. Since it is a narrative review, it was unnecessary to document the literature search on specific platforms [ 16 ].

3. Theoretical Background

Sustainable production uses resources conscientiously to maximize the useful life of products, minimize the environmental, social, and even economic costs of production, and reuse products whenever possible in other production chains [ 16 ]. Thus, for sustainable production to exist, actions in three dimensions must be focused on the economic, environmental, and social. According to Sachs [ 17 ], it is necessary to seek the population’s quality of life in regard to environmental balance to integrate the current production type with sustainable development. In addition, there is a lack of public policies that guide and support actions to combat FW in several countries [ 18 ]. It should be noted that the 2030 Agenda defined by the United Nations—which consists of an action plan for governments, individuals, and companies from all countries—has among its objectives the reduction of waste and the reversal of the negative scenario generated by this incoherent production today. There are 17 sustainable development goals (SDG) and 169 targets for all countries to adopt according to their priorities. Some of the objectives of this plan are to encourage the conscious consumption and production of food, with targets that motivate the efficient use of natural resources, management, purchasing, and sustainable practices, in addition to the sustainable management of chemical products [ 19 ].

Three targets of Goal 12 of the 2030 Agenda, directly related to the reduction of waste generation, are highlighted in this research: (i) the reduction of FW at the retail and consumer level and the reduction of food loss in the planting and post-harvest process; (ii) decrease in waste production through prevention, reduction, recycling, and reuse; (iii) promoting sustainable public procurement practices, following national policies and priorities [ 19 ].

An example of an initiative to reduce the amount wasted is the Zero Hunger/Zero Waste project, which aims to distribute produced and uneaten food to vulnerable people in the United States. The project is widely encouraged by a private company and involves several partner companies across the country. However, this project’s primary goal is to bring the amount wasted in the institutions down to zero, meaning an effective and efficient production [ 20 ].

The reduction of FW is a concrete global goal but initially lacks evaluations and strategies to measure costs, impacts, and the main points of waste generation for it to be effective [ 21 ]. Thus, it is essential to understand the impact of waste at each stage of the production chain and what factors contribute most to FW.

It is known that losses occur in the entire food production chain, but waste is most perceived in the final phase, where the most significant impacts are generated since, in the processing and distribution, there are several investments added to the food. In these final stages, labor for production and energy, among other procedures that frequently use non-renewable energy sources, such as liquefied petroleum gas used by production stoves, must be considered [ 11 , 22 ].

A survey conducted in Brazil shows that approximately 60% of food is discarded at the time of consumption, with collective food services responsible for 34% of this discard [ 11 , 12 ]. In this sense, several surveys are carried out in food services to quantify waste and the results confirm this percentage but do not identify precisely the impact caused [ 3 , 12 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 ].

Although the volume of FW is easily measured during all stages of the production chain, it results from a complex set of factors with consequences in different spheres. In addition to the amount of food discarded, the direct and indirect impacts on society, the economy, and the environment are of great concern. Estimates indicate a loss of approximately 2.6 trillion dollars a year, considering economic, social, and environmental aspects worldwide. Some examples of waste impacts are the consumption of fuel and energy for storage and transportation, the low quality of life of individuals in the case of hunger, and the direct values of food purchase [ 5 ].

4. The Food Waste Generation and Impacts

4.1. food services.

A study analyzed in-depth some possible strategies for reducing FW and loss in food services. The authors revealed that meat losses and waste worldwide are around 5% [ 28 ]. In monetary terms, this waste is over 20%, equivalent to US$122.00 per capita/year. Regarding fruits and vegetables, although slightly lower but no less worrisome, the figure reaches US$108 per capita/year. For cereals, the value reaches US$78.00 per capita/year [ 28 ].

However, monetary value is relatively easy to obtain. When we realize that the amount and costs of wasted food in the world today would be sufficient to feed up to 2 billion people, we understand that there is a greater impact behind it. More than double the number of hungry individuals worldwide could be fed. If there were a correct distribution of what is produced, no individual worldwide would go hungry [ 29 ].

Studies have been carried out in food services to quantify waste [ 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 ]. A systematic review was carried out in the United States to describe methods used to measure FW and respective results in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) across time, considering post-consumer waste. The authors identified four methods, including in-person visual estimation (n = 11), digital photography ( n = 11), direct weighing ( n = 23), and a combination of in-person visual estimation, digital photography, and/or direct weighing ( n = 8). Fruits and vegetables were the products that stood out in the studies due to the enormous waste volume. The studies were characterized by their design being transversal or post-intervention [ 32 ]. Another study considered the pre-consumer waste in Colorado schools and showed that the waste in this stage is very low. Most of the waste reason was spoilage, expiration, and/or contamination [ 33 ].

In another survey performed in different food services from Finland, such as daycare centers, schools, and company canteens, the establishments recorded the amount of food discarded for two weeks. The information was transferred to a research database, with 51 restaurants participating in the study. The results revealed an average of 17.5% of prepared foods directly thrown in the trash. Of these, 2.2% were discarded during preparation (kitchen waste), distribution leftover/serving loss were 11.3%, and 3.9% of customers discarded after serving (rest-intake/plate leftover) [ 30 ]. A recent review shows the need for a more comprehensive approach to the impact of FW [ 15 ]. The research refers to the use of the circular economy as a way to facilitate the discussion on FW by all the actors involved. The authors mention the need to face the restaurants’ FW problem from a holistic view [ 15 ], which opens the opportunity to discuss it considering the three sustainability dimensions in our review.

4.2. Economic Dimension

Understanding the economic dimension is crucial to encourage reductions in this generation of waste in food production [ 34 , 35 ]. The company must be built and managed in such a way that the equipment and tools used to bring financial returns with a balance concerning the other two pillars. For this, it is necessary to identify all aspects related to the control of the impact generated by FW in this dimension.

The cost of wasted raw material is essential. It reveals the financial value spent on food that has been discarded. It is estimated that almost US$750 billion in food is thrown away each year worldwide, considering only the cost of ingredients [ 36 ]. Because it is so easily perceived, this direct cost is widely observed by managers and restaurant owners and can be a way to reduce FW and, consequently, financial losses [ 36 ].

However, other items must be considered concerning the economic dimension, such as expenses with acquiring products, energy, transportation, distribution, processing, and labor. Thus, the cost involved is much higher than that perceived superficially with the acquisition of the product [ 23 , 37 ].

Bianco et al. [ 38 ] highlighted that a critical sustainable indicator is electricity expense. This study performed in Italy in the hotel sector estimates that it may be possible to achieve 13% energy savings in the country between 2017 and 2030. The hotel only implemented energy efficiency measures, such as replacing current lamps with LED lamps [ 38 ].

Adopting electric energy policies is essential for reducing direct values in the food services’ electricity bill. There are energy rationing options that can often be detrimental to the quality of the products offered. For example, turning off the freezer at night to save energy puts all stored food at risk and is an inappropriate strategy for food quality [ 39 ]. That is why energy efficiency strategies are more appropriate, unlike rationing. These measures seek to produce with lower energy demands while maintaining the quality of what is produced. It is possible to improve efficiency by replacing equipment, optimizing operations, and investing in training [ 39 ].

Evaluating the economic dimension, there is also the labor required for meal production, which is an indispensable aspect to be considered. Hours worked must also be considered as an economic impact of meal production. Di Maria et al. [ 40 ] highlighted that this is an indispensable aspect in assessing the impact generated by FW. The value of labor is directly related to waste (since the salary paid to the food handler for the time employed to perform the task) is discarded along with the despised production [ 40 ].

The cost of paying food handlers is directly related to the FW since their salary is discarded with the time spent to produce the meals/foods thrown in the trash. Identifying the aspects involved in FW can allow specific corrections in the most significant impact items. Thus, investments in training and equipment in food production are essential since the food scraps and the quality of the meal produced are also associated with the handlers’ patterns.

It is important to highlight that one item can impact more than one sustainability dimension ( Figure 1 ). However, we opt to divide in this review to facilitate comprehension considering the dimension in which it was most influential according to the studies.

Impacts of food waste in foodservice.

4.3. Environmental Dimension

In addition to the economic impact of FW, the environmental issue is usually the most discussed on sustainability. It is related to the reduction of polluting gases, minimization of waste, and reuse of surplus production. One of the main ways of verifying the impacts generated by the waste in this dimension is the amount wasted, in volume or weight. This waste can impact the soil and the greenhouse effect with polluting gases due to organic waste accumulation. The accumulated environmental damage can be irreversible and damage several future generations [ 8 , 41 , 42 ].

As shown by Papargyropolou et al., restaurant employees often do not handle the food correctly due to lack of attention or do not receive the necessary training, increasing the waste rate [ 43 ]. The lack of adequate equipment or structure for meal production can also be a reason for this waste during manipulation; another reason is the workers’ overload; overwork can lead the handler to exhaustion and decrease his food preparation commitment [ 43 , 44 ].

Besides the food wasted during the production/distribution, which is the rest-intake, distribution leftover, and production leftover, there is more to consider [ 44 ]. The excess of discarded food, often directed to landfills, produces polluting gases and heavy metals that can remain in the environment for up to 100 years after the extinction of these garbage “deposits” [ 45 ]. These expended resources impact the environment, with data showing about 3.3 billion tons of carbon emitted [ 45 , 46 ]. This type of garbage disposal from production units is presented as the most unwanted possibility in the hierarchy from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) [ 47 , 48 ].

The U.S. EPA determines that it should be preferred to reduce the amount of waste at the top of the hierarchy. The second option in the scale of preference is to donate food to hungry people. If those first are not possible, the food should be used to feed animals rather than providing energy to industrial uses. The two least preferred options are composting and discarding the food in landfills or incineration [ 48 ].

It is also worth mentioning the necessary care with food preservation to minimize losses due to deterioration. Products in unwanted patterns characterize this situation (such as crushed or moldy fruit, expired products, and undistributed surplus production). Losses can come from inadequate planning, supplier selection, improper reception, or failures during pre-preparation, preparation, and distribution [ 44 , 49 , 50 ].

It is observed that, environmentally, the damage caused by the accumulation of garbage in landfills can result in the scarcity of natural resources, emphasizing water and reducing biodiversity. Consequently, in some locations, it makes it impossible for most species to exist. Therefore, waste is a problem that must be treated seriously and considered in all its scope and urgency [ 5 ].

FW analysis must also consider the waste of water used in the entire food production process (from planting to consumption) and the water footprint (WF) is one of the main possibilities for assessing water consumption [ 51 ]. Some studies that evaluate the WF of meal production indicate that animal origins’ food use needs to be reviewed. Diets based on products of plant origin allow a considerable reduction in the impact of the social dimension [ 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 ].

These studies show that it is essential to assess the menu’s primary food source (animal or vegetable). However, it is also important to understand that analyzing the WF is not enough to make changes to the menu. It is necessary to understand the acceptance of plant-origin foods in relation to those of animal origin. If the waste of plant foods is considerably greater than animal products, the impact may be greater. Thus, the impacts and changes necessary to reduce the impact generated by FW should be evaluated, considering all variables [ 57 , 58 ].

Another aspect is cleaning materials. When misused, they become inefficient and make the investment in this type of product in vain. They also cause water pollution due to incorrect dilution and foodborne diseases, as evidenced by Roche [ 59 ]. Untreated chemicals are often discarded and contaminate rivers and streams, which in some cases remain in the environment and contaminate the food chain, being harmful to human health [ 59 , 60 ]. Detergents, for example, if discarded in excess in the environment, produce a layer in the water that prevents the entry of oxygen for the breathing of living beings in the aquatic ecosystem. Although laws require biodegradable products, it is fairly common for this rule not to be practiced in some countries. Moreover, the variety of cleaning products contains chlorine, heavy metals, and various chemical compounds. These products, when combined, enhance their damage and can affect the ecosystem. Even people who consume fish have been exposed to contaminated water, for example [ 61 ]. Thus, it reinforces the idea that actions should not be isolated, e.g., considering only a single aspect of waste [ 62 ]. To minimize food rejection, Buzby and Guthrie argued that interventions aimed at the acceptability and presentation of dishes are crucial [ 63 ].

4.4. Social Dimension

The social dimension can be perceived internally and externally. In this dimension, management responsibilities and good practices with the company’s employees are considered and the community’s impacts with attitudes that reduce hunger and encourage local commerce, for example. A healthy, organized work environment must be guaranteed, with adequate remuneration and actions that value and encourage the populations’ well-being and environment [ 64 , 65 ].

Thus, knowledge about good production practices is essential. Good production practices are understood to be the set of practices that must be adopted from the selection and purchase of raw materials and products used to produce meals minimizing the incidence of foodborne diseases [ 66 ]. Examples of these practices prioritize using products that expire in a shorter period than those with greater durability. Another aspect is the appreciation of local product suppliers, also avoiding more significant emissions of gases in long-distance transport and encouraging regional trade [ 44 , 49 , 50 ].

The factors that influence the generation of waste are numerous. However, information on the exact causes for this excess is limited [ 2 , 25 , 67 ]. Studies presented the food recovery hierarchy with different desirable levels of generation/destination of FW [ 49 , 68 ]. The donation of food to people in situations of vulnerability or groups of need is the U.S.EPA hierarchy’s second level [ 68 , 69 ].

The incorrect management of food production and distribution is inconsistent with peoples’ situation of vulnerability and hunger in the world. Data from the World Food Program (2019) indicate that more than 820 million people are still hungry globally, while a third of everything produced each year is thrown away [ 29 ]. If proper access to food was guaranteed, countless people could be fed and well-nourished. In other words, waste is also an important public health problem. Its reduction is essential to enable any strategy to be developed to feed the growing world population, sustainably and equitably [ 29 , 70 , 71 ].

Another essential step in the production chain that can directly affect society is food production and distribution management. Despite seeming (and being) enough to feed everyone, the current systems’ food is inaccessible to around 11% of the world population [ 70 ].

It is noteworthy that the food wasted worldwide would be enough to feed up to 2 billion people, more than double the number of hungry people in actual society. While a third of what is produced is unusable, thousands of people do not have access to safe and quality food. If there was a correct distribution of what is produced, no individual would go hungry [ 8 , 29 , 41 , 42 , 72 ].

Thus, it is necessary to highlight that all individuals’ physical and economic access to food in quantity and quality sufficient to supply their physiological needs for a healthy life and food preferences is a human right [ 73 ]. Food and nutritional security (FNS) consist in realizing the right of everyone to regular and permanent access to quality food, in sufficient quantity, without compromising access to other essential needs, based on health-promoting food practices that respect cultural diversity and are socially, economically, and environmentally sustainable [ 74 ].

From that moment on, it became the public’s duty to adopt policies that promote and guarantee food security for the population [ 74 ]. Availability and access in sufficient quantity and quality to maintain human health and good nutrition must be guaranteed by FNS and are essential for individuals and nations’ well-being [ 75 ].

It should also be noted that estimates indicate that by 2100, more than 10.8 billion people will live on planet Earth [ 76 ]. This world population will demand an increase of approximately 70% in food production, making it essential to reverse the existing waste scenario [ 77 ].

The social dimension also stands out for the destination of the surplus of food suitable for human consumption. Since FW is considered to be any part of food that is discarded, regardless of its potential content of compounds retaining a high value, depending on its origin, it can contain a variable chemical composition of carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, and other components that could be used in human and animal feeding [ 78 ]. Food donation is authorized in some countries and should be considered, as it is an important social factor, considering the data already presented on the correlation between FW and world hunger. Targeting safe food to people with restricted access to quality food is extremely important. In this way, the food surplus will not be destined for landfills or other conventional disposal types that can also affect the environment. In addition, the social importance of this conduct is highlighted, which keeps food in the production chain and improves the lives of people in need [ 72 , 79 , 80 ].

The donation of prepared foods is allowed in some countries, but food service managers are concerned with the distribution of surplus food to vulnerable people [ 81 ]. Restaurants that send leftover meals to people in need are responsible for food safety and must ensure these meals’ hygienic quality [ 81 ].

In some countries, food donation initiatives are being used to allocate leftover food so that it is not discarded as waste and is used, once it is suitable for consumption. Some countries allow the donation of food for people, families, or groups of vulnerable individuals. Food must be within the expiration date and safe hygienic and sanitary conditions for human consumption must be maintained [ 44 , 82 , 83 , 84 , 85 ]. This strategy proved to be important for various levels of society impacted by actions to target leftover food, especially people in need, food handlers, donors, and the community society [ 86 ]. However, many food services choose not to donate food because they are concerned with punishments generated by non-conformities in this destination [ 87 ].

Another motivation that prevents food donation, in some cases, is that the food may not incorporate the habits of the population for which it is intended and, for this reason, be neglected and waste occurs [ 88 ]. It may be that the scarcity of research in developing countries, for example, that identifies the possibilities of making production more sustainable is a reason for the absence of public policies [ 85 ].

A solution regularly adopted for discarded food that is in unsafe conditions for human consumption is composting. This technique is used in vegetable gardens to produce biofuel, animal feed, and even power generation in small home installations. In other words, FW, if handled correctly, can be converted into benefits by increasing recycling rates [ 89 , 90 , 91 ].

It is possible to identify some actions involving the directing of foodservice waste for composting. An action carried out for six months in a hospital restaurant transformed food disposal into quality fertilizer and identified a reduction of approximately six tons of solid waste that would be sent to the landfill [ 92 ].

However, a study pointed out that there is still much resistance in the food sector to adhere to initiatives that could reduce FW’s environmental impact [ 93 ]. The justification for this reluctance is the cost, clients’ resistance, and the lack of employees’ training to properly implement more sustainable tools or techniques. [ 93 ].

The reduction of waste makes it possible to optimize the use of land and agricultural resources that could be used for other functions, such as the production of food for the hungry [ 94 ]. The use of agricultural land and other limited resources such as water will also need to be increased to produce enough food for everyone. It is necessary to devise ways to offer nutritionally adequate food with less environmental, social, and economic impacts, and, above all, it is necessary to reduce waste [ 95 ].

It is reinforced that, usually, the problems that impact society are due to avoidable waste. They result from planning failures at all stages of the production chain. It is a problem that, if circumvented, will contribute to mitigating different social issues such as a greater offer of jobs, since there will be more land suitable for planting and a lower rate of people who demand health services [ 46 , 96 , 97 ].

4.5. Waste Prevention–Possibilities to Decrease the Impact

The search for measures capable of making production systems more sustainable, including reducing the costs generated by FW, must be a commitment to the whole society. It is necessary to develop effective public policies for waste management, dependent on quantifying FW generated in all sectors [ 91 ].

An important alternative to prevent FW concerning the mentioned variables is menu planning [ 85 ]. From well-executed planning, considering the target audience, quality of the raw material, operational capacity of the team, and structure, among others, it is possible to increase the acceptance of meals and reduce waste [ 85 , 92 ]. Another aspect is to use strategies such as improving the dishes’ presentation, carrying out nutritional education work, and adjusting the portion sizes [ 85 ]. Consequently, production will be more efficient and profitable, with the acquisition of better-quality raw materials and rational use of energy [ 82 , 83 , 85 ].

Food acceptance/rejection is associated with taste, presentation/appearance, portioning, texture, temperature, among other aspects [ 98 ]. A study highlights that poor planning and overproduction are among the main reasons for the high amount of food discarded in food services [ 30 ]. Buzby and Guthrie [ 63 ] argue that interventions aimed at acceptability and presentation of dishes are crucial to minimizing food rejection. It is important to emphasize that reaching the ideal acceptability goal must respect some criteria so that the meal does not constitute a potential risk for its consumers [ 62 , 99 ].

Another publication points out that it is necessary to know the public and identify consumers’ food preferences so that the preparations are well accepted [ 100 ]. It is essential to teach children from the early school years about “food waste” [ 63 , 99 ]. Corroborating these studies, the ReFed Restaurant Guide shows some critical points to minimize FW in food services. Among them is menu design, portion size choices, wasting tracking and analytics, inventory management, and production planning, among others [ 101 ]. Food and nutrition education activities (which improve the perception of diners about a balanced diet and, consequently, the served meal acceptance) must be constant. One option to reduce waste is to present incentives for those who do not leave leftovers [ 85 ].

All studies presented are relevant to elucidate the need to develop new studies involving all dimensions of sustainability. Many aspects have been presented and analyzed many times individually. It is important to highlight that the three sustainability dimensions can interfere with each other and, therefore, further studies involving all of them (together) must be conducted in food services. This could be a step towards greater awareness of the problem of FW in different types of food services. Thus, the adequate dimensioning of the problem can be achieved, initially, through educational actions that elucidate the collective benefits generated with FW control.

In the food service sector, there is no consensus on the necessary measures to avoid food waste [ 102 ]. The lack of conceptual alignment of practices to avoid FW may reflect the lack of understanding of what FW represents. Thus, the need to disclose social, economic and environmental dimensions equally is reinforced once again so that effective measures are thought and executed [ 102 ].

4.6. Limitations

It is important to highlight that the nature of the narrative reviews presents some limitations as the assumptions and the planning are not often known; the scope is limited by the defined query, search terms, the selection criteria, and evaluation biases not known; and narrative reviews are not reproducible [ 103 ]. However, narrative reviews have an important role in continuing education because they provide readers with up-to-date knowledge about a specific topic or theme [ 104 , 105 ].

5. Conclusions

In this narrative review, we described the impacts caused by FW in food services based on the three pillars of sustainability. In the tertiary sector, specifically in food services, combating waste actions are essential given the large number of meals prepared. Although there are several strategies to minimize the cost of FW, there are numerous causes that influence this impact. The causes of wastage need to be identified within every single activity and process of the foodservice chain identifying its critical points. Reducing food wastage, redistributing unsold or excess food, and recycling/treating FW are important components of waste management strategies towards food service to reduce the economic, social, and environmental impact of FW. For the measures taken to be effective, besides identifying all the FW parameters it is necessary to make strict controls to ensure sustainable production.

Research to identify the influential aspects of the environment, society, and economy around FW is fundamental to enable controlling the impacts generated in the short and long term. The management of well-performed food services, with proper planning, acquisition control in the acquisition of goods, receipt, and storage, can significantly reduce waste, consequently, with less impact on the three main pillars of sustainability. Therefore, more research is needed to address procedures for monitoring FW generation in each type of foodservice activity and find out methods for reducing it in any single situation. This review does not intend to exhaust the subject about the impacts of FW in the three main sustainability dimensions but to open the opportunity for debate and future studies that enable the development of tools to assess the impact of FW from restaurants on global sustainability.

Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge the financial support given by CAPES, CNPQ, and FAPDF.

Author Contributions

Conceptualization: M.L.; R.P.Z.; V.C.G.; Data curation: V.C.G.; Formal analysis: M.L.; R.P.Z.; Funding acquisition: A.R.; V.C.G.; Investigation: M.L.; R.P.Z.; V.C.G.; Methodology: M.L.; R.P.Z.; V.C.G.; Project administration: V.C.G.; Resources: M.L.; R.P.Z.; V.C.G.; Supervision: R.P.Z.; V.C.G.; Validation: M.L.; Visualization: M.L.; R.P.Z.; A.R.; V.C.G.; Roles/Writing—original draft: M.L.; R.P.Z.; V.C.G.; Writing—review & editing: M.L.; R.P.Z.; A.R.; V.C.G. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

This research was funded by FAPDF grant number: 24076.93.29543.30052018.

Data Availability Statement

Conflicts of interest.

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Emerging Treatment Technologies for Waste Management pp 175–196 Cite as

Food Wastes: Perceptions, Impacts and Management

• John Onolame Unuofin 3 ,
• Oluwatosin Joseph Aladekoyi 4 &
• Olubusola Ayoola Odeniyi 5  
• First Online: 26 August 2021

604 Accesses

3 Citations

Food wastes are increasingly becoming renowned as potential antagonists of a clean and green atmosphere. The unrestrained disposal of immense quotients of food wastes (FW) has substantively effectuated severe environmental pollution in many countries, thereby contributing to the sudden intensity of global warming. Contrariwise, food wastes, if properly harnessed, might serve as an inexhaustible feedstock for production of sustainable energy, value-added biochemicals and agriculture, thereby tackling the dual impasse of resource exhaustion and waste aggregation. This study would, therefore, serve to give a historian appraisal of food wastes and their environmental fates, and also suggest sustainable waste management possibilities that would accelerate our strides towards a circular economy.

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Unuofin, J.O., Aladekoyi, O.J., Odeniyi, O.A. (2021). Food Wastes: Perceptions, Impacts and Management. In: Haq, I., Kalamdhad, A.S. (eds) Emerging Treatment Technologies for Waste Management. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-2015-7_8

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Latest research progress on food waste management: a comprehensive review

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Since a large amount of food supplying is provided as a basic line measuring increasing residents' life standard, food waste has become progressively numeral considerable. Much attention has been drawn to this problem. This work gave an overview on latest researches about anaerobic digestion, composting, generalized management and other developments on management of food waste. Different technologies were introduced and evaluated. Further views on future research in such a field were proposed.

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• Aquatic food provides an important source of nutrition for many people, and we are eating increasing volumes of it.
• Improvements in processing and storage, along with new technologies, are helping reduce the amount of food lost and wasted.

In a world where people are going hungry, a new report from the World Economic Forum finds a shocking 15% of fish and seafood in our food chain goes to waste.

Aquatic foods are critical to global nutrition and food security, and their consumption is increasing each year. But, increasing amounts of it also end up uneaten. The Investigating Global Aquatic Food Loss and Waste whitepaper finds that 23.8 million tonnes of edible aquatic food was lost or wasted in 2021.

The biggest sources of food loss and waste (FLW) come from processing on land and discards from wild-capture fishing (as opposed to fish farms), with each accounting for over a third of the total figure.

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Waste less, sell more - how one startup is using ai to transform food retail, food waste makes up ‘half’ of global food system emissions, to feed the world, we need to waste less fish. here's how.

Making sure that more aquatic food we capture ends up in our mouths, rather than the bin, is crucial to reducing waste and enhancing long-term food security. Although the size of the problem is significant, technology, innovation and collaboration are increasingly providing us with new strategies to be less wasteful, says the report.

FLW is a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, as food that goes to landfills emits methane as it deteriorates—which has a far greater warming potential than carbon dioxide.

A growing source of nutrition

As the chart above shows, more aquatic foods are consumed globally than chicken, pork, beef or sheep. Globally, over 3 billion people rely on them for a fifth or more of their animal protein.

Aquatic foods also contain vitamins and other nutrients that are not readily available from different food sources. These foods are also particularly important in lower to middle-income countries, where they can be the primary and sometimes only source of protein.

Two billion people in the world currently suffer from malnutrition and according to some estimates, we need 60% more food to feed the global population by 2050. Yet the agricultural sector is ill-equipped to meet this demand: 700 million of its workers currently live in poverty, and it is already responsible for 70% of the world’s water consumption and 30% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

New technologies could help our food systems become more sustainable and efficient, but unfortunately the agricultural sector has fallen behind other sectors in terms of technology adoption.

Launched in 2018, the Forum’s Innovation with a Purpose Platform is a large-scale partnership that facilitates the adoption of new technologies and other innovations to transform the way we produce, distribute and consume our food.

With research, increasing investments in new agriculture technologies and the integration of local and regional initiatives aimed at enhancing food security, the platform is working with over 50 partner institutions and 1,000 leaders around the world to leverage emerging technologies to make our food systems more sustainable, inclusive and efficient.

Learn more about Innovation with a Purpose's impact and contact us to see how you can get involved.

Given these benefits, aquatic foods have become one of the highest-valued and most traded food commodities globally, and consumption growth has outpaced population growth. Global consumption is five times greater than it was six decades ago, and by 2030, the report expects the world to be consuming 181 million tonnes of aquatic foods annually.

Where food loss and waste occur

A significant amount of food is lost during sea fishing, where catches not deemed valuable enough are thrown back overboard. Many fish are returned to the sea dead or die shortly after through trauma or increased susceptibility to predation.

For those fish which are kept, processing on board fishing vessels is the next biggest source of loss in the value chain. Gutting, de-heading, skinning and trimming at this stage reduces the need for processing once the fish reaches land and thereby extends its shelf life, but creates further waste.

Once on land, the catch is further processed. The losses here depend on the market's demands—higher income nations tend to prefer easy-to-prepare and consume products like fillets or ready-to-eat products made from fish like tuna, cod, haddock, salmon, and prawns. In contrast, lower-income countries tend to eat more fresh whole fish.

Once catches enter the retail market, losses occur when food is contaminated, spoiled or exceeds its “sell-by” date.

Food bought by hotels and restaurants can be lost through poor handling and storage, and human error when they are prepared and cooked. There is also food lost through poor stock rotation and unused surplus.

Catch consumed at home is often wasted through poor storage, but there are also cultural and geographical differences in consumption which affect waste levels. Eating whole fish, as is more customary in lower-income countries, is less wasteful than semi or fully-prepared products.

Aquaculture as an alternative source

Aquaculture – fish farming – provides an alternative to wild capture. It is not without losses though, and innovations like sensor technology and disease detection can help minimize deaths. Similarly, alternatives to fishmeal and training on handling techniques are helping to improve aquaculture production and reduce losses.

Where does the most food loss and waste occur?

There is a lot of variation in the levels of FLW between regions, the report shows. Asia has the highest level of aquatic food loss, at 37% of all edible stock. Europe is close behind, losing just under a third. This compares to Oceania at the other end of the scale, where less than 2% of edible aquatic food is lost.

How can we reduce aquatic food loss and waste?

Given the multiple points along the value chain at which loss and waste occur, we can also make multiple improvements, says the report.

One of the most obvious is finding new uses for industry by-products. For example, edible and non-edible parts are already being used for pet food, aquacultural and agricultural feeds, fertilizers, and biofuels. Promising applications are also being explored in cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and nutraceuticals .

Infrastructure improvements, helping maintain highly perishable goods at consistent cold temperatures, will also have a significant impact. This can include changes to the freezing process, particularly in the early stages of the value chain.

Emerging technologies are making a difference, too, says the report. AI, blockchain and other digital technologies are helping improve tracking and traceability, as well as better predict market demands to create smoother, more efficient supply chains.

As new and better solutions to reducing FLW come to the fore, collaboration between industry associations, academia and public-private partnerships will help spread and grow best practices.

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World Economic Forum articles may be republished in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Public License, and in accordance with our Terms of Use.

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Management team, a recipe for reducing food waste in retail.

Start dramatically cutting waste across your value chain

With costs estimated at a trillion dollars every year, food waste is a massive issue. One-third of all food is wasted, harming the climate, biodiversity, and consumers. Now, that’s all about to change.

Until recently, food waste seemed like an unavoidable part of the system. Today, new solutions are making it possible to illuminate the entire value chain, enabling everyone from farmers to retailers to coordinate on a scale never before possible. Our new report takes a sweeping look at the causes – and solutions – to this global challenge.

Mounting pressure

From every direction, pressure to reduce food waste is mounting.

• Governments are enacting new food waste regulations, with a target of cutting 50% of food waste by 2030 .
• Consumers are demanding less waste from retailers , and they’re rewarding retailers who make the effort.
• Retailers themselves have been stepping up their commitments to reducing food waste – and they’re already seeing a return on their investment.

Inefficiencies at this scale need to end – many retailers are already finding ways to close the gaps. Our report provides an overview of the landscape today

In this report you’ll find:

• An overview of food waste worldwide
• Why retailers are uniquely positioned to drive change
• What barriers are preventing retailers from acting
• How you can dramatically reduce food waste

You’ll also find concrete examples of retailers that have made impressive strides to cut food waste from their operations.

Learn how your retail company can reduce waste, while leading with a sense of purpose that resonates with your customers.

Food waste reduction solutions for retail

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Food waste management: How technology and logistics can reduce food waste

Discover how innovations in technology and logistics are turning the tide against food waste, one smart solution at a time.

We need better food waste management

In a world where hunger claims lives daily, it’s a sad reality that so much food ends up in the trash. About one-third of food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted annually – about 1.3 billion tons, worth some US$1 trillion. Think of it this way: All that “surplus food” could feed two billion individuals – more than double the number of undernourished people worldwide.

What’s more, annual global food waste results in CO 2 -equivalent (GtCO2e) emissions roughly equal to the total combined emissions of the US and EU.

Food waste is, therefore, doubly problematic, exacerbating the problem of food insecurity while also harming our environment.

Here, we examine this growing problem and how state-of-the-art technology and supply chain management can prevent food from being wasted.

Facts about food waste

Nearly a third of all food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted.

All the food produced but never eaten could feed two billion people.

Annual food lost or wasted is worth about US$1 trillion.

If wasted food were a country, it would be the world’s third-largest producer of CO2, after the US and China.

Source: World Food Programme

The growing problem of food waste

As the global population grows, so does the demand for food, which increases the potential for waste. Food is wasted at every step in the food supply chain, from farms to our refrigerators. A large portion lands in the trash before even reaching a supermarket or wholesaler. There are various reasons for this: “best before” dates are nearing or have just passed, labels or fill levels are faulty, or demand is low. Unsold seasonal items like Christmas cookies are a perfect example of products thrown away because no one wants them anymore.

Food waste is a systemwide problem that requires systemwide solutions. It occurs at every stage in the food production process, including growing, processing, sorting, packaging, transportation, and sales. That’s why we collaborate with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) to transform agribusiness by tackling the problem of food waste, enhancing food security, and improving global market access for producers.

As you move further down the food supply chain, the environmental impact of food waste becomes greater because all the resources used up to that point are also wasted, increasing the social cost. At these later stages, technology and logistics can play a crucial role in efficient food waste management. Below, we take a closer look at how logistics can help reduce food waste.

How can logistics reduce food waste?

There are several ways supply chain managers can reduce food waste:

• Keeping it fresh – preventing food from spoiling
• Keeping it flawless – avoiding waste due to caution
• Keeping it in the loop – redistributing discarded foods

Preventing food from spoiling or being wasted due to caution is mainly a tech challenge. Better data lets people know that food is still safe, so they don’t throw it away. Redistributing discarded foods is primarily a logistics challenge that requires dense and efficient logistics operations.

Food waste management: Keeping it fresh

Temperature is a top priority in food logistics. Cucumbers , for example, must be kept in a cool environment and handled with utmost care. Once out of the ground, they need to be taken fresh from the field and straight to a cold storage facility. Transport from there to the supermarket requires a cold chain – a logistics network that can store and transport temperature-sensitive goods under controlled conditions.

State-of-the-art cold chains use smart sensors to track and log the environmental conditions of each shipment, such as temperature, humidity, shock, light, and even air pressure. Online platform solutions house and harness the data, allowing supply chain managers to monitor each product’s entire journey, tailor transport planning, and even digitalize customs clearance processes.

Food waste management: Keeping it flawless

Spoiled food is unsafe, of course. But too much perfectly good food is thrown out due to caution. Food and beverage companies often don’t want to risk selling products past the “best before” date.

Technology can play an essential role in preventing this as well – like food waste management solutions that leverage the  Internet of Things (IoT)  in their supply chains. These solutions enable real-time monitoring of food items, which helps keep the food fresh and provides accurate data that tells people the products are safe for consumption. With this information, we can avoid the mistake of throwing out good food.

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Case Study: Reducing food waste on Avanti West Coast trains

DHL Supply Chain has managed onboard food services for Avanti in the UK since 2014. The team worked with DHL Customer Solutions & Innovation to develop a successful proof of concept for food waste management.

By deploying smart sensors across the train operator’s network, we helped reduce food waste by up to 90% – more than two tons a week! The plug-and-play sensors continuously monitor the temperature of food items, with data transmitted securely to the cloud. This allows for real-time decision-making and significantly reduces unnecessary waste.

Employees receive an alert when food should be thrown out. Reliable temperature data also helps them determine whether the contents of food boxes are still safe, eliminating waste created out of caution. Additionally, monitoring extends shelf life and meets regulatory requirements.

Following the project's success, we’re rolling the solution out across Avanti’s railway network.

Food waste management: Keeping it in the loop

You may have heard of “food sharing” – collecting unwanted, excess food products that stores would otherwise throw away and distributing them to people for consumption. But have you ever considered how that process works?

Many innovative food waste startups are developing original solutions to prevent food from being discarded. Often, these solutions involve efficient logistics and food waste management. The secret to their success is the targeted purchasing and selling of items – connecting with restaurants and food, buying the surplus food they would otherwise throw away, and selling it to consumers at discount prices before it spoils.

Logistics providers like DHL help these companies get the goods to their customers quickly, safely, and sustainably using our green logistics solutions .

Food waste management saves more than food

These success stories are just two ways logistics and technology can optimize food waste management. With the potential to drastically reduce food waste, these innovative practices set a benchmark for the industry and highlight the critical role of logistics companies in shaping a sustainable future.

The message is clear: managing food waste is a logistical challenge and an opportunity for innovation. We can save more than food by embracing technology and refining logistics processes. We can help save the planet.

DHL Freight FoodLogistics

Published: April 2024

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• Sustainable development
• Circular economy strategy summary: MOJ
• Ministry of Justice

Circular economy strategy summary

Published 22 April 2024

© Crown copyright 2024

This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. To view this licence, visit nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3 or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: [email protected] .

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/circular-economy-strategy-summary-moj/circular-economy-strategy-summary

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has a complex estate covering over 1,500 rural and urban sites, including over 100 prisons across England and Wales.

We are working to reduce costs, protect the environment and be less wasteful across the MoJ. We will create green jobs for prisoners by harnessing the unique capability of the prison estate to repair, remanufacture and recycle our resources.

Our ambition is to fully contribute towards the government’s target under the Environment Act to halve residual waste per person by 2042 and its target under the Climate Change Act to meet net zero by 2050.

Our 10 circular economy objectives are set out below, organised under our strategic priorities: waste governance, smart waste management and building an internal circular economy.

What is a Circular Economy?

ReLondon defines a circular economy as:

“An economy in which stuff is kept in use for as long as possible, delivering the highest value it can, for as long as it can. So rather than making, using and then throwing stuff away (a linear system), a circular economy means looking at each of those stages for new ways of cycling materials and value back into the system – using materials and products again and again, in many different forms.”

Waste governance

1. Meeting our obligations: work with staff and suppliers to meet our Greening Government Commitments, Environment Act duties and the 2042 waste reduction target. 2. Rethinking procurement: procure goods and services that support our waste reduction and circular economy aspirations. 3. Guidance and training: ensure staff can access appropriate training and learn from best practice. 4. Green skills and job creation: create a strong link between prison waste management and jobs for prison leavers.

Smart Waste Management

1. Reuse, waste segregation and recycling: establish the right processes so sites can reuse, segregate and recycle waste. 2. Food waste: understand the drivers behind food waste and support effective segregation and disposal working with our contractors. 3. Capital equipment: establish a transparent, value-for-money process for purchasing and maintaining waste capital equipment.

Building an internal circular economy

1. Repair and remanufacturing workshops: establish circular economy workshops to repair and remanufacture our assets. 2. Logistics and storage: improve our capability to store and move items around the MoJ estate. 3. Circular construction: reduce waste and embed circular economy principles in our construction programmes.

Our long-term circular economy vision

Our vision is to:

• Have sites with the appropriate infrastructure, equipment and contractor support to effectively reduce and manage waste
• Only procure durable, sustainable products that are made‑to‑be‑made‑again and can be repaired in prison workshops as many times as possible
• Dispose of all items that can’t be reused or repaired as sustainably as possible in accordance with the waste hierarchy
• Equip prisoners, prison leavers and MoJ service users with the knowledge and skills to gain jobs in the waste and circular economy sector
• Create simplified, accessible and comprehensive processes for waste disposal that alleviate operational burdens on staff

Best practice examples from across the MoJ estate

Prison waste management units.

Prisons have waste management units where prisoners work to segregate, repair and recycle assets. This creates work for nearly 1,000 prisoners at any one time, leads to nearly 4,000 tonnes of material being salvaged and saves the taxpayer £2.5 million per year.

The MoJ and HMPPS are working to reduce waste and avoid costs by repairing broken TVs and prisoner phones and reissuing them.

Boot refurbishment

In 2019, HMP Ranby established a boot cleaning workshop to disinfect, clean and repair old prisoner work boots. The displaced need to purchase new boots has saved over £48,000 on a £3,000 investment. Other prisons including HMP Hull, Hewell, Swinfen Hall, Highpoint, Littlehey and Lindholme have also had great success recycling and refurbishing work boots. This has saved thousands of pounds at each prison against the cost of purchasing new boots. In 2022/23, the MoJ has purchased boot refurbishment equipment for 10 further prisons.

Nutrition and food waste research

HMPPS and the MoJ are leading a unique research project to better understand which meals are wasted, the reasons why and the impact of food waste on prisoners and the prison environment.

Spring Clean 2023

Community Payback (CP) teams took part in clean-up projects in support of Keep Britain Tidy’s annual Great British Spring Clean campaign. The 2022 Spring Clean week saw 1,500 offenders spend almost 10,000 hours on 300 community clean‑up projects.

Creating jobs for prison leavers in the waste sector

Between 2018 and 2022, 47 prisons delivered 1,791 WAMITAB waste qualifications to prisoners. In January 2023, the MoJ hosted the ‘waste jobs routeway’ event, designed to create stronger links between prison waste management work and jobs in the waste sector.

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