Food losses and waste quantification in supply chains: a systematic literature review

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.

The supply chain structure of the potato-based food industry in Indonesia is not yet optimal, characterized by problems with the continuity of processed potato production and limited supply of potatoes to certain varieties. Food Loss and Waste of potatoes tends to be high, while food loss and waste mapping along the potato supply chain in Indonesia are not yet available. This study aims to identify the research gap of food loss and waste in potato supply chain, to determine the future research position, and to develop the future research framework. Systematic literature review was conducted to identify the research gap. At first, bibliometric analysis was conducted using Harzing’s Publish or Perish and VOSviewer software to produce the network visualization of research keywords to identify the gaps. Secondly, the most frequent keywords were used as the basis to review the relevant previous studies to determine the future research position. “Sustainability” is the main keyword that appears which has a close relationship with “food supply chain”, “supply chain management”, and “food industry”, while “potato” is not the most frequent keyword. The gap identified is the absence of keywords related to “soft system dynamics”, “food loss”, “food waste”, “food loss and waste”, and “life cycle assessment” which could be a potential novelty. To connect the dots of previous studies and produce a novelty, the future research will be positioned around the topic of sustainable potato supply chain modelling to reduce food loss and waste.

This article proposes a means of exploring the use of circular economy (CE) business models to deal with losses and waste in food supply chains. First, the current state-of-the-art application of CE in the food waste area was identified through a systematic literature review. The main findings concerning the current debate around this topic were: (a) the Regenerate and Loop business models are the most studied models in analyzing methods of reuse and recycling of food waste through biological cycles; (b) focal companies and customers are the most often investigated tiers of supply chains; and (c) the investigation of CE and food waste has so far focussed on how to efficiently manage the waste already generated by the system, instead of how to avoid waste generation. Second, in terms of managerial contributions, based on the findings from the systematic literature review, this article proposes an expansion of the application of CE business models to deal with food losses and waste, considering the role of the retail tier, the use of Industry 4.0 technologies and the shift away from the waste reuse approach towards reducing waste generation using CE business models, such as Optimize and Share. Additionally, in terms of academic contributions, this article presents a comprehensive agenda for future research and extends the body of knowledge with regard to the synergy between CE and Industry 4.0 by integrating these two topics with the issue of food waste and loss, a sustainable development target.

A Behavioral Approach to Food Waste Issue in Qatar

The article substantiates the conceptual principles of reducing food loss and food waste from the standpoint of ensuring food security and environmental sustainability. The approaches to the interpretation of the concepts of food loss and waste are summarized, the similarities and differences between them, as well as the reasons for their formation and the connection between them, are noted. The main causes of food losses and food waste, which are caused by human, technical-technological, natural-climatic, economic, market, etc., are considered. factors. It is argued that Ukraine's waging of war caused the deterioration of food security both at the local and national levels, and at the international level. The main factors that lead to the loss of agri-food in the supply chain during wartime and the decrease in its production volumes are systematized, which will negatively affect the provision of food security in the country and the formation of export potential at the level of previous years. The dynamics of losses in terms of individual types of products were analyzed and it was established that the highest losses are observed for potatoes - 18.1 %, vegetables and melons - 12.0 %, fruits and vegetables - 10.0 %, and for livestock products this indicator is not significant It was found that the greatest losses of crop products occur at the stage of growing and harvesting, the value of which varies from 3 to 12 %, as well as sales. In dairy and meat breeding, the greatest losses occur at the stage of livestock breeding, milking and primary processing of products, as well as due to the lack of a full production cycle. It is estimated that the amount of food waste in Ukraine in households is 76 kg per capita, which is almost equal to the indicators of most countries, but the values are higher in the catering sector - 28 kg and retail trade - 16 kg. It was concluded that there is a need to develop effective measures to reduce food waste and losses in order to increase the sustainability and competitiveness of agri-food supply chains. It is substantiated that the conceptual principles of the need to reduce food losses and food waste should be considered in the aspect of ensuring food security and minimizing the negative impact on the environment. Among the priority directions for solving the problem of food losses and waste, the following are highlighted: development of a comprehensive program for the preservation and restoration of agricultural production in the conditions of martial law; development and improvement of market infrastructure elements; technical and technological modernization of agricultural production, processing facilities; improvement of distribution infrastructure elements, especially transportation of live animals; creation of innovative warehouse facilities; formation of a rational consumption culture among the population; development of wholesale food markets, livestock markets, development of public-private partnerships in the implementation of projects to reduce food losses and food waste; development of effective levers of state regulation in the aspect of motivation of chain participants; development of a methodical approach to estimating the amount of food losses; formation of an information array of data, etc. Key words: food loss, food waste, supply chain, food security, environmental sustainability, martial law.

PurposeFood waste is generated along the entire agricultural supply chain. From farm overproduction to lack of cold chain infrastructure, waste occurs for multiple reasons and negatively impacts the environment and society while generating economic losses. Although various supply chain actors and institutions have made attempts to reduce it, the activity is often confined to a single farm or to a retailer and charity dyad, without a systematic resolution of the problem. The environment is not only negatively impacted by the reduction of soil, water and biodiversity but also human beings suffer from malnutrition and food insecurity and finally, the entire supply chain faces considerable economic losses. Various supply chain actors have attempted to reduce this waste, but the results are often limited. The purpose of this paper is to consider systematic resolution by proposing a reconceptualisation from an alternative Operations and Supply Chain Management (O&SCM) perspective.Design/methodology/approachThe proposed paper is problem-based research, which merges the research and industry perspectives derived from the authors’ field experience interviewing different supply chain stakeholders in Italy, the UK, the USA and France with an analysis of O&SCM literature related to food loss and waste.FindingsIn order to address the food waste problem, we propose a new perspective in dealing with food loss and waste through the lens of O&SCM. By reconceptualising O&SCM theories and methods with the unique aspects of food loss and waste and taking into account the multitude of stakeholders involved, we propose five research avenues.Originality/valueThe perspective of O&SCM management is missing when dealing systematically with food loss and waste, as researchers neglect its unique characteristics.

More research less waste

In line with the trend of population growth in the world, increasing food production becomes imperative for the agricultural sector, especially since even with the current population, one billion people were malnourished or hungry. The opportunity to increase food production is mainly reduced to increasing yields and is less based on increasing cultivated areas and the number of domestic animals. The productivity of agriculture increases through its intensification, that is, greater application of artificially produced inputs (fertilizers, pesticides, antibiotics, etc.), which threatens the health safety of the food produced in this way and leads to an increase in nature pollution. This closes a circle in which the survival of humanity is conditioned by the reduction of health food safety and the degradation of the environment. As a logical counterbalance, an ecological movement emerged that advocates food production based on sustainable principles, the use of natural inputs and processes, and the preservation of nature. That logic would be acceptable to everyone if it did not materialize in the contradiction of "more ecology, less (more expensive) food". In addition to environmental activists, the goal of producing food in an ecologically acceptable manner was also adopted by the EU as one of its longterm strategic goals (the so-called "Green Plan"). One of the possibilities of increased satisfaction of the food needs of the world population, instead of increasing its production, is the reduction of losses and waste of already produced food, which has become one of the world's development goals since 2015 (SDG 12.3. - halve global food waste per capita at the retail level and consumer level and reduce food losses along production and supply chains by 2030). Terminologically, food losses are related to the phases of its production, distribution and processing, and food waste to the phase of food trade and consumption. Practically, the effect of increasing food production can be substituted by the effect of reducing food losses and waste, which has become a new challenge for all participants in the food supply chain, from producers, through distributors and traders to consumers. The scientific community is also one of the participants in that process, which contributes with its research to identify causes and find solutions to reduce food losses and waste. The facts presented in this chapter aim to draw attention to the issue of food losses and waste with a focus on the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The treatment of the selected topic begins with the argumentation of the growing need for food in the world, primarily due to the increase in the number of inhabitants and the goal of eradicating hunger and malnutrition. It continues with the projection of limited possibilities for the production of significantly larger quantities of food in the future. After that, the concepts of food loss and waste and ways of measuring them are introduced. The key chapter is the dedicated to assessing the scope and causes of food losses and waste in Bosnia and Herzegovina. An overview of food losses and waste along the supply chain is also given, based on selected literature sources. The chapter ends with a review of the hierarchy of food waste disposal with concrete proposals for reducing food losses and waste in the BiH environment.

In 2015, the United Nations defined the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), which include a target (12.3) on food waste. The target requires “by 2030, to halve per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels and to reduce food losses along production and supply chains, including post-harvest losses”. The target has increased awareness about the food waste problem and boosted research in food waste quantification. Nevertheless, there is a lack of studies that adopt a systematic approach to account for food waste providing disaggregated values per food supply chain stage and per food groups. Such an approach could support policy makers in prioritizing interventions for food waste reduction. To fill this gap, this paper presents a high-level top-down approach to food waste accounting in the European Union. The study aims to support the understanding of the mass flows associated with food production, consumption, and waste, addressing different food groups along the food supply chain. The method for accountin is the mass flow analysis. According to the results, cereals, fruit, and vegetables as the food groups are responsible for the highest amount of food waste, and the consumption stage to be responsible for the largest share of food waste for most food groups. This work highlights the need for further primary research on food waste generation in the EU. Ultimately, this would allow to robustly estimate the food waste generated at EU level, and establishing a more accurate baseline to track the progress towards SDG target 12.3.

A Behavioral Approach to Food Waste Issue in Qatar

Whereas the prevalence of hunger and food insecurity is often cited as a motivation for reducing losses and waste in agriculture and food systems, the impacts of such reduction on food security and the wider economy have not yet been investigated. This paper gives insights into these effects, the factors of influence, and derives implications for applied research, policy and practice. We used economic theory to analyse the impacts of food loss reductions on the supply side and food waste reductions on the demand side. The analysis is graphical and uses intuitive low-dimension diagrams. The impacts of tackling food losses and waste differ from the size of food losses and waste and depend, in addition, on the extent to which they are avoidable, factors that cause them to arise (notably food prices) and the costs associated with measures to reduce them. Interactions within the food supply chain and the broader economy also affect the impacts. Trade-offs occur on the demand side where a reallocation of spending on previously wasted foods causes some producers to be worse off and some to be better off. Over time, producers tackling losses may have to incur welfare losses in the short run with gains in terms of increased revenues, if any, occurring later. Similarly, consumers may delay spending savings on previously wasted foods. As a consequence, the impacts, notably on food security and welfare, are ambiguous. Further research should quantify the factors that play a role and carry out economy-wide impact analyses, employing a combination of macro, meso and micro-level tools, and presenting a comprehensive set of indicators that adequately capture broader societal impacts of tackling food losses and waste. This allows policy makers to better target policy and resources, identify complementary policies, and move beyond target-setting to addressing the underlying causes, whereby it is important to consider the whole food supply chain. Supply chain actors could contribute in terms of practical and innovative solutions where they matter most, and feed research and policy makers on the bottlenecks that explain why food losses and waste occur, and their relative importance.

Reducing our waste size

Review of household food waste quantification methods: Focus on composition analysis

Product specifications and business practices as food loss drivers – A case study of a retailer's upstream fruit and vegetable supply chains

Food loss and waste represents a global problem which is characteristic for all food supply chain sectors and all groups of countries. On average, every year one third of the total amount of food produced is lost or wasted, which indicates an extremely high level of inefficiency in the food supply chain. One of the key characteristics of food loss and waste is a wide range of ecological, economic and social implications, which is why this problem has become the subject of many national and global agendas. Although there is still no unique definition of the term food loss and waste and unique data collection methodology, many authors have researched this topic so far. Therefore, this paper's aim was to research the existing literature on the phenomenon of food loss and waste, as well as to observe trends of the amount of food loss and waste in the world and the EU. The results indicated that the differences between developed and developing countries have changed, and the amount of food waste in both groups of countries at the household level is now quite uniform. At the level of the EU, the household sector is also the largest generator of food waste.