Multi-criteria decision approach with stakeholders for food waste management

Abstract

The activities related to agri-food production and the disposal of its waste account for a large number of greenhouse gas emissions. In many cases, food waste (FW) management is established by making a single assessment for its sustainability based on economical or environmental impacts. However, social impact assessments on stakeholders are often incomplete or missing, and its efficiency is seldom measured. Decision-making in waste management strategies, such as the acquisition of appropriate waste treatment sites or methods used, frequently involves multiple stakeholders such as government, municipalities, industries, experts, or public sectors. Due to the complication of differing criteria and alternatives in FW management technology, a multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) methodology is recommended to certify the quality of the decision-making process. This paper reviews the use of MCDM as decision supporting techniques in modelling and analysing decision making in situations with multiple stakeholders for FW management. The synthesis results obtained through the MCDM tool will be more reliable when requesting confirmation from stakeholders based on a recommended minimum range of criteria for each sustainability dimension in the FW issues. Finally, potential studies in this area have been proposed.