A holistic approach to the environmental evaluation of food waste prevention

Managing food waste is key to tackling climate change

The food waste hierarchy as a framework for the management of food surplus and food waste

Waste prevention, energy recovery or recycling - Directions for household food waste management in light of circular economy policy

Major US electric utility climate pledges have the potential to collectively reduce power sector emissions by one-third

Reducing our waste size

Cutting edge technologies to end food waste

Hospitals produce and waste large amounts of food. When disposed in landfill it creates greenhouse gases (GHGs) from the decomposition process. While various food waste management strategies exist that divert hospital food waste to an alternative end of life pathway to landfill, it is not clear which can decrease GHG emissions the most. This study aimed to (a) compare the differences in GHG emissions associated with hospital foodservice food waste before and after adopting a food waste management strategy, and (b) identify which waste management strategy can prevent the most GHGs in 1 year. A secondary analysis of data from a systematic review reporting on food and food-related waste diversion strategies in hospital foodservice was conducted. The online "ReFED Impact Calculator" was used to calculate GHG emissions from food waste in the original scenario (e.g., landfill), and the alternative scenario after a food waste management strategy that reused, recycled or recovered resources was implemented. The net change of GHGs was calculated, and the GHGs emissions avoided in paired samples and between food waste management scenarios was analyzed statistically. Fifty-five food waste management strategies (surplus food donation, feeding animals, anaerobic digestion or industrial uses, and composting) were eligible for analysis and were grouped into eight scenarios. The median GHGs generated decreased after adopting the alternative strategy in all scenarios. There was a statistically significant median reduction in GHGs when changing from landfill to donations (-11.54, p < 0.001), landfill to industrial uses (-25.92, p < 0.001), and landfill to composting (-15.24, p < 0.001). Percentage change in GHGs generated in these 3 scenarios demonstrated a significant difference (p < 0.001), with landfill to donations displaying the greatest reduction in GHGs (-92.02%), followed by composting (-8.69%) and industrial uses (-7.75%). Various food waste diversion strategies can handle types and volumes of hospital food waste, yet each strategy displays a reduction in GHG emissions compared to a lower prioritized strategy. Donating waste shows the greatest reduction in GHG emissions and if food waste cannot be avoided, it may be the preferred end of life pathway for food waste.

Energy from food waste

Food losses and waste (FLW) reduction and mitigating climate impact in food chains are priorities in achieving sustainable development goals. However, many FLW-reducing interventions induce additional greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, for example, from energy, fuel, or packaging. The net effect of such interventions (expressed in GHG emissions per unit of food available for consumption) is not obvious, as is illustrated in a number of case studies. We recommend that in the decision to take on FLW-reducing interventions, the trade-offs on sustainability impacts (such as GHG emissions) are taken into consideration. Since FLW induce demand and extra operations in all stages along a supply chain, adequate representation of cumulative GHG emissions along the production and supply chain, including ‘hidden parts’ of the chain, is required, which is challenging in full LCA studies. As a workaround, the case studies in this paper are based on a generic tool, the Agro-Chain greenhouse gas Emission (ACE) calculator that includes metrics and data for common food product categories and supply chain typologies. The calculator represents the structure of a generic (fresh food) supply chain and offers data sets for, amongst others, crop GHG emission factors and FLW in different stages of the production and distribution chain. Through scenario calculations with different chain parameters (describing pre and post-intervention scenarios), the net effects of an intervention on GHG emissions and FLW per unit of food sold to the consumer can be compared with little effort. In the case studies, interventions at the production stage as well as in post-harvest operations, are analyzed. Results show that post-harvest activities (especially FLW) contribute substantially to the carbon footprint of supplied food products. The FLW-reducing interventions are considered to induce additional GHG emissions. In most case studies, FLW-reducing interventions lower total GHG associated with a unit of food supplied to a client or consumer. However, in one case study, the extra emissions due to the intervention were higher than the prevented emission from lowering food losses. Consequently, in the latter case, the intervention is not an effective GHG emission reduction intervention.

Household food waste accounts for a significant share of total food waste. In 2022, around 1.05 billion tons of food waste were generated—60% of which came from households. In the EU, households generate 54% of the total food waste. In Italy, according to a former diary study, avoidable household food waste accounts for 529.9 g per capita per week. Building on this data, this study assesses the monetary value of food waste at the household level in 6 provinces across the country, considering the prices of food items recorded by the Italian Observatory of market prices. Moreover, the environmental impacts of household food waste (greenhouse gas emissions, water consumed, and land used) were investigated based on existing data from well-grounded scientific literature. The results show that the monetary value of food waste ranges from EUR 357.43 to EUR 404.62 per household per year, corresponding to 5–7% of the average household expenditure for food. The environmental impacts per household per year account for 149 kgCO2eq, which contributes to climate change. In addition, household food waste is responsible for 303,498 L of water consumed and 1426 m2 of land used. The results of this study can be integrated into National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs), to integrate food waste reduction into energy savings and greenhouse gas mitigation strategies.

Modelling food demand in the 21st century

Energy-related activities are a major contributor of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. A growing body of knowledge clearly depicts the links between human activities and climate change. Over the last century the burning of fossil fuels such as coal and oil and other human activities has released carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and other heat-trapping GHG emissions into the atmosphere and thus increased the concentration of atmospheric CO2 emissions. The main human activities that emit CO2 emissions are (1) the combustion of fossil fuels to generate electricity, accounting for about 37% of total U.S. CO2 emissions and 31% of total U.S. GHG emissions in 2013, (2) the combustion of fossil fuels such as gasoline and diesel to transport people and goods, accounting for about 31% of total U.S. CO2 emissions and 26% of total U.S. GHG emissions in 2013, and (3) industrial processes such as the production and consumption of minerals and chemicals, accounting for about 15% of total U.S. CO2 emissions and 12% of total ...

With the rising environmental awareness, the issue of food waste is drawing considerable attention from civil society, scholars, industry practitioners and policymakers alike. Addressing food waste is crucial, as it incurs a variety of social, health, economic and environmental costs, including greenhouse gas emissions, soil degradation and the depletion of natural resources. The objective of this study is to analyze processes in food waste management to gain insight into factors influencing consumer behaviour, attitudes, and practices regarding consumption and food waste and loss prevention in the supply chain. This requires the analysis of decision making methods and waste reduction strategies and approaches, particularly for households. The goal is to emphasize the importance of raising consumer awareness and sense of individual responsibility, especially given the recent surge in collective community intentions to live more sustainably. However, translating these intentions into tangible actions is uncertain and filled with socio-economic complexities. Reports indicate that, households are responsible for approximately half of all food waste generated. Therefore, it's important to review the literature on barriers and triggers related to behaviour patterns and variations in food related lifestyle dimensions, to determine the factors that might influence food handling and food waste knowledge. Targeting households presents a promising starting point for future interventions, highlighting actions that may influence the current food consumption model to reduce the amount of food wasted. The methodological approach was structured into three steps. First, a literature review was conducted to gather insights and identify factors and interconnections between consumer behaviour and food waste. Second, related drivers and triggers were analysed. Lastly, the findings were summarized to highlight gaps and opportunities for improving attitudes towards food waste prevention.

This study provides a comprehensive evaluation of the economic and environmental impacts of food waste reduction through the implementation of Smart NEXUS Ecolabels. Employing the JRC Food Waste Prevention Calculator, the analysis centers on a optimistic-case scenario wherein household food waste is curtailed by 20%. The results reveal that mitigating food waste at this scale yields substantial benefits, with each ton of food waste prevented equating to the conservation of approximately 78 meals, reduction of 323 kg CO₂ equivalent emissions and an estimated cost savings of 133 euros in production and waste management expenditures. Extrapolating these findings to the EU's aggregate annual food waste, the potential large-scale impact is profound, encompassing 4.6 billion meals saved, 19.1 million metric tons of CO₂ equivalent emissions mitigated, and an estimated economic benefit of 7.85 billion euros. The environmental impact assessment, conducted across 16 midpoint categories, underscores the pivotal role of targeted food waste prevention strategies in curbing pollution, conserving natural resources, and bolstering food security. These findings substantiate the transformative potential of Smart NEXUS Ecolabels in facilitating systemic reform, reinforcing the necessity of embedding food waste reduction measures within broader sustainability frameworks to enhance resource efficiency at scale.

A half-century of production-phase greenhouse gas emissions from food loss & waste in the global food supply chain