Food waste prevention along the food supply chain: A multi-actor approach to identify effective solutions

Abstract

There is a large consensus highlighting the need to prevent the food waste volume along the food supply chain. However, there is currently a lack of understanding as to what the most effective anti-food waste measures to be implemented in fact are. The food waste puzzle can be considered from diverse perspectives depending on the stakeholder position on the chain. In view of this, the objective of this paper is to conduct a multi-actor approach to identify the most effective measures to prevent food waste. To do so, we combined in-depth interviews and the Delphi method and applied this to key agents along the food supply chain. The study was conducted in the Barcelona metropolitan region, and a total of 24 key stakeholders participated in the process. We identified 48 measures from the in-depth interviews. The Delphi method was used to evaluate stakeholders’ perception of the effectiveness of each measure to prevent food waste and, the consensus and dissensus among the panel. In particular, we found different strong prevention measures, such as the increasing of diet valuation, weak prevention measures, such as building consumer awareness about food waste, and a set of redistribution measures. Finally, we discussed the importance of engaging as diverse a panel of stakeholders as possible when addressing food waste. The paper contributes to the incipient debate on how to examine the impact of multiple and diverse alternatives to food waste prevention.