Abstract
Of all of the stages in the supply chain, more food waste comes from households than any other sector. A Dutch composition analysis showed that the solid food waste (including sauces, fats, and dairy products) from household waste amounted to 48.0 kg per person per year (in 2013), of which 5.0 kg consisted of cooked rice and pasta. These two product groups were numbers 1 and 3 in terms of relative waste: 34% of the purchased quantity of rice and 23% of that of pasta was wasted. Using questionnaires, we discovered that Dutch consumers mainly throw away food because they prepare too much of it. The same is true for rice and pasta because they increase greatly in volume when cooked. The water uptake ratio of rice is 2.5 (2.3–2.8) and that of pasta is 1.8 (1.5–2.3), which increases the chances of consumers overestimating portions. In 2013, more than half of the people surveyed did not measure pasta and rice portions. In view of this, the Netherlands Nutrition Centre developed a measuring cup called the Eetmaatje, which is marked with the recommended volumes for Dutch adults for different types of pasta and rice in terms of dry weight. The theoretical reduction of food waste the Eetmaatje provides is calculated to be ~6% for pasta and 21% for rice, or 12.5% combined. Between 2014 and 2019, more than 1.6 million Eetmaatje cups were distributed for free among Dutch households. Over that period, the measuring of pasta and rice by Dutch households increased. Most people (85–89%) in a panel of consumers who own an Eetmaatje think it is handy or very handy to use. The majority of those in the panel (50–80%) say that they use the Eetmaatje most times when they prepare a meal. Four out of five of those in the panel (77–87%) are convinced that the Eetmaatje helps them waste less pasta and rice. The Eetmaatje functions as a nudge to change cooking behavior and thus food waste behavior. Consumers who measure their pasta using the Eetmaatje self-reported that they produced less total food waste. The measured household waste of cooked rice and pasta seems to show a downward trend since the introduction of the cup. There is strong evidence that the Eetmaatje has increased the number of Dutch households measuring rice and pasta and thereby reducing food waste.
Highlights
The Problem of WasteThe Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that one-third of the world’s food production is wasted [1]
There is strong evidence that the Eetmaatje has increased the number of Dutch households measuring rice and pasta and thereby reducing food waste
Less than half of Dutch consumers measured the portions of dry pasta and rice for cooking before the Eetmaatje measuring cup was introduced
Summary
The Problem of WasteThe Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that one-third of the world’s food production is wasted [1]. In the European Union, the annual per capita estimate is 173 kg of food waste per person, which is equivalent to Europeans wasting 20% of the continent’s food production [2]. Wageningen UR estimated the annual food waste in the Netherlands to be between 1,781 and 2,466 t, which is equivalent to between 105 and 145 kg per person [3] This figure covers all food lost and wasted from after primary production in the food industry to distribution to households. The group contributing the most to food waste is households (52%) According to these numbers, the focus in food waste reduction should be both on households and businesses, but with households prioritized. According to Tonini et al [7], “Food preparation, for households and food service sectors, provided an important contribution to the Global Warming impacts.” The United Nations placed food waste prevention on the international political agenda with the introduction of target 12.3 in the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 12 (Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns): “By 2030, halve per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels and reduce food losses along production and supply chains, including post-harvest losses” [8]
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