Abstract
Food waste (FW) is a critical challenge in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). This paper analyzes research dealing with food waste in the GCC countries (viz. Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates). It draws upon a systematic review performed on Scopus in January 2020. The paper covers both bibliometrics (e.g., authors, affiliations, journals) and research topics (e.g., causes, food supply chain stages, extent and quantity, food security, economic impacts, environmental implications, management strategies). A main finding of the review is the scarcity of data on FW in the GCC in general and in Kuwait, Oman, and Bahrain in particular. Most of the selected articles address FW reuse and recycling (e.g., waste-to-energy conversion, compost production). Indeed, other FW management strategies, such as reduction/prevention and redistribution, are overlooked. The systematic review highlights that further research on FW in the GCC is highly needed with a focus on the identified research gaps such as causes and drivers, trends, magnitude and extent, environmental and economic impacts, along with implications of food wastage in terms of food security. Since food wastage is a common issue for all GCC countries, these research gaps should be addressed in a shared regional research agenda.
Highlights
Food losses and waste (FLW) refers to “a decrease, at all stages of the food chain, from harvest to consumption in mass, of food that was originally intended for human consumption, regardless of the cause” [1]
Losses occurring in the initial part of the food supply chain are high in the developing world, whereas in developed countries, food waste mainly occurs within later stages i.e., in distribution and at consumer level [1,2,3]
Region in general and the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in particular. To bridge this knowledge gap, this review provides a comprehensive, systematic overview of the landscape of research on food waste in the GCC
Summary
Food losses and waste (FLW) refers to “a decrease, at all stages of the food chain, from harvest to consumption in mass, of food that was originally intended for human consumption, regardless of the cause” [1]. Losses occurring in the initial part of the food supply chain (mainly caused by poor harvesting, transport and storage infrastructure, and facilities) are high in the developing world, whereas in developed countries, food waste mainly occurs within later stages i.e., in distribution and at consumer level [1,2,3]. Research is needed to get reliable data on food waste, there has been so far no systematic study of the state of research on this issue in the NENA region in general and the countries of the GCC in particular To bridge this knowledge gap, this review provides a comprehensive, systematic overview of the landscape of research on food waste in the GCC. It combines bibliometric and topical analyses to outline a profile of the research field, identify research gaps, and provide recommendations for strengthening the research strands on food waste in the countries of the GCC
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