Framework for analyzing the effects of packaging on food loss reduction by considering consumer behavior

Abstract

In this study, we developed a framework to analyze the effects of highly functionalized packaging on food loss reduction by considering consumer behavior. The framework consists of two analyses. The first is a trade-off analysis to identify the balance between increased impacts caused by highly functionalized packaging and reduced impacts associated with food loss reduction. A novel indicator, the break-even rate of food loss, is defined to quantify the minimum food loss reduction required to recover the life cycle environmental impacts associated with the production of highly functionalized packaging. The second is a consumer behavior scenario analysis to evaluate variations in environmental impacts caused by the lifestyle and food consumption preferences of consumers. To verify the effectiveness of the framework, we conducted a case study of ham products marketed in Japan. In this case, two high functionalizations were selected to be reducing the product content volume and extending the product expiration date, compared with those of conventional packaging. The result indicated that high functionalization reduced food losses for some scenarios where people consume small quantities and discard food after the expiration date. Life cycle environmental impacts decreased as a result of food loss reduction except for the scenario where the food loss reduction was less than the calculated break-even rate of food loss. Thus, the framework can evaluate the effects of packaging on the food losses and environmental impacts for different consumer behaviors. The case study demonstrated the effectiveness of the framework to support the design and planning of food packaging for the reduction of environmental impacts and food losses.