Cutting edge technologies to end food waste

Before the COVID-19 pandemic it was widely reported that, in the United States, over 40 percent of food produced was wasted During the pandemic, news reports have described unprecedented household food waste, up by 30 percent according to Republic Services, one of the largest waste management services in the US (Helmer 2020) But upstream, food waste was, and continues to be, equally problematic When institutions such as schools and universities, large businesses, restaurants, and other venues must shut down, so too must the food supply chain for those locations Farmers who produce food for large-scale public use have been unable to redirect their products for grocery markets, and so in many cases their harvests and dairy cannot be used Elsewhere along the chain, farm and other food laborers (e g , meat-packing workers, delivery workers) without access to protection and health care cannot continue to pack and deliver food at "normal" levels, and so potential food has been left in fields and warehouses (Evich 2020)

Food loss and waste undermine the resilience and sustainability of global food systems, jeopardising progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Adopting healthier and more sustainable diets could help reduce global food loss and waste, but the potential trade-offs on food loss and waste trends and interactions with standalone reduction policies remain largely unexplored. We aimed to investigate the effects of reducing food loss and waste within the context of a global dietary transition by 2050, shedding light on the synergies and trade-offs between two crucial policy areas for the food systems of the future. In this economic modelling study, we linked the economic and technical modelling of food loss and waste by adding consistent tracing of food loss and waste in physical quantities along global (ie, domestic and international) food supply chains within a global computable general equilibrium (CGE) modelling framework. This framework captures the behavioural responses of economic actors along food and non-food supply chains. We built on the Global Trade Analysis Project (GTAP) Data Base, incorporating data extensions for energy, nutritional accounts, and food loss and waste flows along stages of global supply chains. We first investigated the impact of halving global food loss and waste through technological developments by 2050, in line with the SDG 12.3 target. We then analysed the impact of transitioning to healthier and more sustainable diets by 2050, promoting a global dietary transition through behavioural changes. We explored this dietary transition both with and without the goal of halving global food loss and waste, highlighting how food loss and waste targets interact with dietary changes on a global scale. Our scenarios were chosen to show how the magnitude, composition, location, and reuse potential of food loss and food waste could evolve under different scenarios compared with business-as-usual dietary developments. Food loss and waste along global supply chains were projected to rise by 52·0% by 2050 under the continuation of historical trends. Diet shifts alone were projected to be insufficient to curb this rise in food loss and waste, with demographic trends and growing incomes driving the total volume of lost and discarded food. Regional spillover effects of healthier diets-whereby low-income countries increase plant-based food production to meet growing demand in high-income countries-exacerbated food loss and waste trends, especially in sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East and north Africa. In sub-Saharan Africa, rapid population growth and increased per-capita gross domestic product drove food loss and waste when dietary changes were implemented (an increase of 132·2% from 2014 to 2050) and when standalone food loss and waste reduction targets were applied (an increase of 61·8% from 2014 to 2050). Globally, dietary shifts were projected to drive food loss and waste for oilseeds and fish, surpassing baseline levels by 2050. Further spillovers emerged in high-income countries where demand for fresh plant-based foods was shown to drive losses at production stages. Global trade was also found to amplify food loss and waste in exporting regions, as increasing exports of plant-based products from sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America to Europe, the USA, and India increased farm-level food loss and waste. Coupling dietary transitions with targeted food loss and waste reduction policies in line with SDG 12.3 successfully controlled spillover effects on a global scale. A combined strategy could reduce global food loss and waste by 63·2%, eliminating commodity-specific and stage-specific spillovers and enhancing the effectiveness of dietary changes. Potential benefits were particularly notable in sub-Saharan Africa where nutritional availability could increase by an average of 365 calories per capita per day by 2050. Policies promoting healthier diets must consider spillover effects on food loss and waste (eg, a potential rise in loss and waste generation when global consumption shifts towards plant-based products). As shifts in production, consumption, and trade alter the magnitude, location, and composition of food loss and waste, monitoring these changes is crucial to establishing the priority areas for food loss and waste reduction or reuse interventions, especially in low-income regions. Although dietary shifts can improve nutrition, new technologies and market-based approaches to reuse discarded food and food waste-whether linked to domestic consumption or trade-could create economic opportunities and environmental benefits. To maximise these benefits, food loss and waste reduction should be central to discussions on dietary transition policies, as spillover effects risk undermining the positive outcomes of a global dietary shift. None.

With around one third of food produced globally going to waste each year, attention is increasingly being focused on reducing, reusing and recycling this waste. This is our theme for June. The food waste hierarchy (p27) is a good place to start. It defines the sequence of priorities in which food waste should be managed, depending on its characteristics. The first priority is to prevent the occurrence of waste at source, by identifying where it occurs and taking actions to eliminate it. The second priority is redistribution of surplus edible food to those in need. One of the biggest problems in managing waste food is the logistics of identification, collection and delivery. Charities, such as Fareshare (p24), lead the way in organising the collection and redistribution of surplus food from supermarkets, food producers and farms, while new consumer apps (p38) help citizens to identify and collect surplus food in their area. Another approach to repurposing agrifood waste is to use it as a feedstock from which to produce alternative food, packaging or biofuel products. Examples include the use of coffee grounds to produce coffee flavour, packaging materials and biofuel products (p28), the use of agrifood wastes as a feedstock for producing mushroom mycelium as a meat replacer (p34), or the use of crop residues to produce speciality ingredients (p32). This trend in new startups recovering value from food waste (p44) is accelerating and has led to the formation of the Upcycled Food Association in the US. There are a wealth of opportunities to develop new food and packaging products from agrifood waste, which offer the potential to move towards a more circular economy. If food waste is not fit for redistribution or repurposing, the next priority is treatment by anaerobic digestion, rather than composting, to generate green energy and a biofertiliser byproduct that can be recycled to land (p41). Efficient use of resources is critical to avoid waste and its impacts on food insecurity and climate change. Letters to the editor about any of the articles published in Food Science and Technology are welcomed. The Food Waste Index Report 2021, a new study from UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme) and WRAP (Waste Resources Action Programme), estimates that around 931m tonnes of food waste was generated in 2019, 61% of which came from households, 26% from food service and 13% from retail. This suggests that 17% of total global food production may be wasted (11% in households, 5% in food service and 2% in retail)1. Household per capita food waste generation was found to be broadly similar across country income groups, suggesting that action on food waste is equally relevant in high, upper middle and lower middle income countries. This differs from earlier suggestions that consumer food waste is concentrated in developed countries, while food production, storage and transportation losses occur mainly in developing countries. There is insufficient data on the edible fraction of food waste to allow comparative analysis across country income groups, but even if inedible parts (bones, pits, eggshells, etc.) predominate in lower income countries, there is sufficient total food waste in these regions for circular approaches or other food waste diversion strategies to be adopted. The report publishes a methodology for countries to measure food waste at household, food service and retail level, in order to track national progress towards 2030 and to report on Sustainable Development Goal 12. 3, (Global Food Loss and Waste). Countries using this methodology will be able to generate strong evidence to guide a national strategy on food waste prevention that will enable meaningful comparisons among countries globally. The Food Waste Index covers the later stages of food's journey – food waste occurring at household, food service and retail level – and is intended to complement the Global Food Loss Index, developed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), which addresses methods for monitoring food losses on a global level for a basket of key commodities in the food system, including crops, livestock and fisheries products2. A new set of innovative digital tools and resources3 for employers to develop or enhance their workforce nutrition programme has been launched by the Workforce Nutrition Alliance, (a partnership between The Consumer Goods Forum and the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition). The aim is to bring healthier eating to employees at their workplace and maximise the benefits to their business and their wellbeing. One in three people worldwide suffers from malnutrition today, making it a massive global concern impacting individuals, businesses and economies; it is hoped that the initiative will reach millions of people worldwide and have a powerful impact on fighting malnutrition globally, while protecting frontline workers and supporting economies. The tool can be used by an employer with one or multiple workplaces across multiple regions and enables them to assess their system-wide performance across different workplace types including factories, corporate offices, retail stores and warehouses. Leading companies are lending their weight to the expansion of workforce nutrition programmes. Olam International has become a Lighthouse Leader for Nutrition Education in the workforce. Google, Inc is a Lighthouse Leader in Healthy Food at Work, and Unilever is a Lighthouse Leader in Nutrition Focused Health Checks. The Workforce Nutrition Alliance is also developing an accompanying implementation support programme that will provide employers with access to leading technical experts who can guide them in putting their enhanced workforce nutrition programme into action. The programme will include resource materials as well as online video training courses. The IGD (Institute of Grocery Distribution) has launched a new guide to help manufacturers take urgent action to increase the amount of food that is redistributed4. The guide, entitled Maximising Food Surplus Redistribution: A Guide For Food Manufacturing Businesses, is the first step in a new programme of work aimed at mobilising the industry to take collective action on this critical issue and urgently accelerate the amount of surplus food being redistributed. With 16% of adults (one in six people) across England, Wales and Northern Ireland experiencing food insecurity, IGD has joined forces with Ben Elliot, Food Surplus and Waste Champion for Defra, and WRAP to launch the guide. This will be followed by the creation of a new online redistribution hub later in June, which will host a comprehensive set of resources to help and support businesses seeking to accelerate food surplus redistribution. Based on conversations with industry partners, IGD has identified the following five stages for successfully accelerating food surplus donations in a manufacturing business: 1 Provide leadership and establish governance 2 Identify levels and types of surplus 3 Select redistribution partner(s) 4 Revise processes and policies 5 Embed processes and continually review. A new study from Rothamsted Research has shown that soybean, an important source of plant-based protein, could be more widely farmed in the UK6. Currently much of Europe's soybean is imported, but there are strong economic and agronomic arguments for boosting local production. Soybean is grown in central and eastern Europe but is less favoured in the North due to climate. Researchers conducted field trials across three seasons and at two sites in the UK to test the viability of early-maturing soybean varieties and used the data from these trials to calibrate and validate the Rothamsted Landscape Model. The model was used to predict the probability that soybean would mature and the associated yield for 26 sites across the UK based on weather data under current, near-future (2041–60) and far-future (2081–2100) climate. The researchers concluded that soybean is likely to be a viable crop in the UK and for similar climates at similar latitudes in Northern Europe in the future but that for yields to be economically attractive for local markets, varieties must be chosen to align with the growing season. Ivy Farm Technologies, an Oxford University spin-out, is aiming to become the first commercial producer of sustainable, cultured meat in the UK5. The initial product will be a slaughter-free sausage – for supermarkets and the restaurant trade from 2023 - followed by meatballs and beefburgers. The company has launched a £16m fund-raising to build a pilot R&D facility in the first step towards producing 12,000 tonnes of cultured pork a year by 2025. A small number of cells are taken from an animal and placed in a bioreactor. The cells are exposed to a mix of vitamins and nutrients so they replicate and produce meat on a unique ‘scaffold’ system in as little as three-to-four weeks. The system is continuous – so muscle and fat can be harvested without disturbing cells growing underneath. The company is already in discussions with the Food Standards Agency, which will have to approve cultured meat before it can go on sale in the UK. Plans are in progress to develop the UK's first School of Sustainable Food and Farming at Harper Adams University, in Shropshire7. Supported by Morrisons, with co-partner RAFT Solutions, the school will draw on academic and practical expertise, as well as industry networks, to develop knowledge and skills for farmers and other businesses in the supply chain, which are committed to reducing the environmental impact of food production. Morrisons has set the objective to be directly supplied by net zero carbon British farms by 2030. The initial targets will be centred around how to achieve net-zero UK agriculture. However, the ambition of the school will include wider aspects of sustainability including biodiversity, animal welfare, rural community support, green energy production and farm profitability. Using knowledge from the research, the school will seek to develop practical advice and guidance to help farmers adjust their practices to be more sustainable. RAFT Solutions will play a key role in developing practical skills training associated with animal breeding and health. Capital investment in real farming projects will enable direct farming engagement with the school, for the benefit of all. Work placements, apprenticeships and other workforce development initiatives are also being considered to support the need for future sustainable food and farming professionals. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has published the findings of a report exploring people's experiences of food during the COVID-19 pandemic in partnership with cross-party think tank Demos8. The report looks to understand how a new food environment created during the pandemic has impacted the public's behaviours and preferences. The research included: a nationally representative survey of 10,069 UK adults, a nationally representative online deliberative method called Polis with 1,006 UK respondents, a series of four deliberative workshops, and an open access survey of 911 adults. Key findings on the public's experience during the pandemic were as follows: • People have stepped in to help prevent new forms of food insecurity caused by people self-isolating by offering informal support, such as shopping for others. • There is a public appetite for the Government to take action to help feed those without the means to feed themselves. Just under two thirds (63%) agreed in the Polis that ‘it is the government's responsibility to make sure no-one goes hungry’. • A significant proportion of the population have bought food more locally or grown more food during the pandemic, reflecting a wider move towards individual self-sufficiency. Many of those who have made this move expect it to continue after the pandemic. • 78% of those surveyed supported the UK keeping its current food quality standards, even if food is more expensive and less competitive in the global market. A similar proportion (82%) also supported maintaining the UK's current animal welfare standards, when presented with the same trade-off against prices and competitiveness. • There has been a complex shift in people's diets during COVID-19, with more home cooking. Although a third (32%) of respondents in the poll reported eating more healthy main meals, a third (33%) ate more unhealthy snacks. • Some of the restrictions and public health advice, such as stay at home, might have encouraged more healthy eating. Those who have cooked more or eaten healthier main meals tend to expect this change to continue. However, this is likely to be somewhat dependent on other changes, such as continued flexible working. Campden BRI is updating guidance on heat preserved foods to help the food and drink industry manage risk in this area with the best practices9. The project, which involves close collaboration with industry experts, will align the new document with current technologies used in the heat preserved foods sector. Covering all packaged and ambient stable foods that receive a thermal process to extend shelf-life, the new guideline will provide expert advice to a large portion of the industry. The guidance will reflect changes in computing technology that have enabled food businesses to operate much more efficiently in all aspects, from ingredient control through to electronic data capture and storage. The bulk of the content will cover four main areas, which are critically important for ensuring food safety, including: • Management of pre-processing stages to avoid spoilage before the thermal process is applied • Correct application of the thermal processing step • Ensuring the packages are hermetically sealed 29-30 June and 16-17 November 2021 FOOD MATTERS LIVE Venue online Web foodmatterslive.com 5-7 July 2021 FOODEX Venue NEC, Birmingham Web foodex.co.uk/ 5-7 July 2021 THE INGREDIENTS SHOW Venue NEC, Birmingham Web theingredientsshow.co.uk/ 19-21 July 2021 IFT ANNUAL MEETING & FOOD EXPO Venue online Web iftevent.org/ 6-7 October 2021 7TH ANNUAL TRANSLATIONAL MICROBIOME CONFERENCE Venue Washington DC, USA Web microbiomeconference.com/ 15-16 October 2021 PLANT BASED WORLD CONFERENCE AND EXPO Venue business Design Centre, London Web plantbasedworldeurope.com/ 1-4 November 2021 35TH EFFOST INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE - HEALTHY INDIVIDUALS, RESILIENT COMMUNITIES, AND GLOBAL FOOD SECURITY Venue Lausanne, Switzerland Web effostconference.com/ 22 Novemeber-2 December 2021 FOOD INGREDIENTS EUROPE Venue Frankfurt and online Web figlobal.com/fieurope/en/home.htm

Energy from food waste

Editorial and News

Managing food waste is key to tackling climate change

Food waste valorization by recycling and repurposing is critical for lowering the environmental and economic burden of discarded food and facilitating the transition to a circular economy. Several research have focused on recycling technology and end-use products; nonetheless, their economic, environmental, and social impacts are limited. This study employs an integrative review approach to analyze global challenges related to food waste and develop a comprehensive single-source reference on this critical issue. Food supply chain activities, including retail and consumption, microbial and food safety concerns, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the context of food waste, were evaluated. Despite significant efforts to overcome these challenges, approximately 1.3 billion tons of edible food are lost or wasted annually, leading to the emission of around 3.3 billion tons of greenhouse gases. The environmental impact, ranging from 347 to 2,969 kg CO₂ equivalent per ton of food waste, depends on multiple factors within food supply chains and waste management systems. This review focuses on the following challenges: (1) stress on croplands related to food production and its consequential impacts; (2) limitations of croplands, food production constraints, and waste generation trends at various stages of supply chains; (3) existing strategies for controlling waste by sources and categories, along with the detrimental economic impacts of food waste; and (4) currently available technologies for waste treatment and conversion into value-added products. Overall, food waste is primarily used for energy recovery, biofertilizers, and biomaterials. However, innovative food waste conversion strategies have the potential to create high-value products, foster industrial collaboration, and further support the circular economy.

Teamwork to tackle the food security crisis

Towards transparent valorization of food surplus, waste and loss: Clarifying definitions, food waste hierarchy, and role in the circular economy

Reducing agricultural loss and food waste: how will nature fare?

Reducing our waste size

The world’s population is expected to grow at an increasing rate, leading to increased food consumption and waste production. Even though food waste represents one of the most challenging economic and environmental issues of the 21st century, it also provides a vast array of valuable resources. To address the challenge, this study uses resource recovery from food waste to close the supply chain loop, which is the cornerstone of a circular economy. By applying the bibliometric review technique, trends and patterns in food waste and circular economy were studied. The analysis of frequent keywords in the field provided insights into further research directions. A Boolean search of the keywords in the Scopus database resulted in 288 articles, published between 2015 and 2021. Further screening of titles, keywords, and abstracts resulted in 155 journal articles. Bibliometric coupling, including authors’ co-citation data, co-occurrence, and the occurrence of keywords, was graphically mapped using VOSviewer software. From the analysis of the publications, eight broad themes emerged: (1) anaerobic digestion of food waste for circular economy creation; (2) food waste systems and life cycle assessments for circular economy; (3) bio-based circular economy approaches; (4) consumer behavior and attitudes toward circular economies; (5) food supply chains and food waste in a circular economy; (6) material flow analysis and sustainability; (7) challenges, policies, and practices to achieve circularity; and (8) circular economy and patterns of consumption. Based on the eight themes, we emphasize an urgent need to promote the collaboration of governments, the private sector, educational institutions, and researchers, who should combine efforts to promote, integrate and accelerate acceptance of circularity, which will potentially mitigate greenhouse emissions associated with food loss and waste. We also highlight an opportunity to encourage consumer acceptance of upcycled food in the food waste hierarchy. In addition, we deduce that there is a need to quantify food waste and emissions of greenhouse gases due to this waste along the food value chain; this is important as it is one pathway of examining the ‘food leaks’ along the food supply chain. This can then inform optimal strategies targeting specific areas of the food supply chain experiencing food leaks. Lastly, food wastage affects the entire globe; however, future studies and funding need to be channeled towards investigating the possibility of implementing circularity in developing countries.

A Behavioral Approach to Food Waste Issue in Qatar

Modelling food demand in the 21st century

Dietitians as change agents for promoting healthy and sustainable food systems