Life Cycle Assessment of Food Loss Impacts: Case of Banana Postharvest Losses in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Banana is one of the most common fruits consumed by Sri Lankans, with particular cultural value, while banana leaves serve as a useful degradable material for traditional food wrapping. Sri Lanka cultivates many varieties of banana for local and export markets, with some indigenous varieties predominately grown for local consumption, and others used in large-scale farming for export. In Sri Lanka, there are multiple banana value chains starting from different commercial hubs, and it has been estimated that nearly 30-40% of the banana harvest is lost during the postharvest stages, which contribute to several environmental impacts including climate change. This study was therefore conducted to quantify the postharvest losses in two major banana supply chains (of the sour banana variety also known as ‘Ambul’) in Sri Lanka and to estimate the associated climate change impacts, using the life cycle analysis approach. A detailed survey was undertaken to capture the banana postharvest losses study confirmed that the postharvest losses from harvesting to retail outlet segments are approximately 27.23%, with the highest contribution from the retail stage (7.89%), followed by transportation from wholesale to retail stage (7.61%), and wholesale stage (6.22%). The estimated climate change impact of banana associated with the entire supply chain was 706.88 kg CO2-eq per 1 tonne sour banana, while the impact related to postharvest losses throughout the supply chain was 270.54 kg CO2-eq per 1 tonne sour banana. The findings have allowed identification of which handling stages to target, using human factor engineering principles. This will allow a reduction in transportation- and handling-related stress on the banana fruit, and development of different supply chain configurations through life cycle engineering interventions to mitigate both banana postharvest losses and their climate impacts in Sri Lanka.