Abstract
Halving per capita food waste (FW) is one of the objectives of the Sustainable Development Goals. This study aims to evaluate the weight and monetary values of food waste among a sample of Italian families. In a representative sample of 1142 families, the adults responsible for food purchases and in charge of preparing meals were assessed with a self-administrated questionnaire measuring quantity and typology of FW. These data were linked with food purchases figures measured as an average of four weeks. Italian families wasted 399 kg of food per week (4.4% of the weight of food purchased), which correspond to a monetary value of €1.052 (3.8% of the overall food expenditure). Clustering the food groups according to waste quantity, typology, and monetary value made it possible to show that price has a role in the generation of food waste, as the lower the unitary cost, the higher the quantity of waste. Consequently, foods with high unitary costs were less wasted. The results of this study showed that Italian consumers are sensitive to the economic impact of waste and this should be considered in sensitization campaigns.
Highlights
Foods 2021, 10, 1920. https://Reducing food waste (FW) along the entire food supply chain (FSC) is an important policy priority included in the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for 2030 [1]
Clustering the food groups according to waste quantity, typology, and monetary value made it possible to show that price has a role in the generation of food waste, as the lower the unitary cost, the higher the quantity of waste
The results presented in this article contributed to adding information on the impact of food waste generated at the very end of the food supply chain, at the consumer level
Summary
Reducing food waste (FW) along the entire food supply chain (FSC) is an important policy priority included in the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for 2030 [1]. In the framework of the adoption of sustainable production and consumption models, Goal 12.3 recommends halving food losses and waste. Food loss and waste was estimated to be one-third of the edible food as reported by the World Resource Institute [4]. These figures are equivalent to 1.3 billion tons of food produced for human consumption wasted each year [5] with an economic loss of €800 billion [6]. Households and catering sectors are the most impactful (53%) in high-income regions, while in low-income areas, food losses are the consequences of non-efficient products’ management and storage [7]
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