Q&A with Betty Kibaara: Innovations that can deliver “good food” for Africa

Integrating food loss and waste reduction policies with global dietary shifts: an economic modelling study.

Reducing our waste size

With around one third of food produced globally going to waste each year, attention is increasingly being focused on reducing, reusing and recycling this waste. This is our theme for June. The food waste hierarchy (p27) is a good place to start. It defines the sequence of priorities in which food waste should be managed, depending on its characteristics. The first priority is to prevent the occurrence of waste at source, by identifying where it occurs and taking actions to eliminate it. The second priority is redistribution of surplus edible food to those in need. One of the biggest problems in managing waste food is the logistics of identification, collection and delivery. Charities, such as Fareshare (p24), lead the way in organising the collection and redistribution of surplus food from supermarkets, food producers and farms, while new consumer apps (p38) help citizens to identify and collect surplus food in their area. Another approach to repurposing agrifood waste is to use it as a feedstock from which to produce alternative food, packaging or biofuel products. Examples include the use of coffee grounds to produce coffee flavour, packaging materials and biofuel products (p28), the use of agrifood wastes as a feedstock for producing mushroom mycelium as a meat replacer (p34), or the use of crop residues to produce speciality ingredients (p32). This trend in new startups recovering value from food waste (p44) is accelerating and has led to the formation of the Upcycled Food Association in the US. There are a wealth of opportunities to develop new food and packaging products from agrifood waste, which offer the potential to move towards a more circular economy. If food waste is not fit for redistribution or repurposing, the next priority is treatment by anaerobic digestion, rather than composting, to generate green energy and a biofertiliser byproduct that can be recycled to land (p41). Efficient use of resources is critical to avoid waste and its impacts on food insecurity and climate change. Letters to the editor about any of the articles published in Food Science and Technology are welcomed. The Food Waste Index Report 2021, a new study from UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme) and WRAP (Waste Resources Action Programme), estimates that around 931m tonnes of food waste was generated in 2019, 61% of which came from households, 26% from food service and 13% from retail. This suggests that 17% of total global food production may be wasted (11% in households, 5% in food service and 2% in retail)1. Household per capita food waste generation was found to be broadly similar across country income groups, suggesting that action on food waste is equally relevant in high, upper middle and lower middle income countries. This differs from earlier suggestions that consumer food waste is concentrated in developed countries, while food production, storage and transportation losses occur mainly in developing countries. There is insufficient data on the edible fraction of food waste to allow comparative analysis across country income groups, but even if inedible parts (bones, pits, eggshells, etc.) predominate in lower income countries, there is sufficient total food waste in these regions for circular approaches or other food waste diversion strategies to be adopted. The report publishes a methodology for countries to measure food waste at household, food service and retail level, in order to track national progress towards 2030 and to report on Sustainable Development Goal 12. 3, (Global Food Loss and Waste). Countries using this methodology will be able to generate strong evidence to guide a national strategy on food waste prevention that will enable meaningful comparisons among countries globally. The Food Waste Index covers the later stages of food's journey – food waste occurring at household, food service and retail level – and is intended to complement the Global Food Loss Index, developed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), which addresses methods for monitoring food losses on a global level for a basket of key commodities in the food system, including crops, livestock and fisheries products2. A new set of innovative digital tools and resources3 for employers to develop or enhance their workforce nutrition programme has been launched by the Workforce Nutrition Alliance, (a partnership between The Consumer Goods Forum and the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition). The aim is to bring healthier eating to employees at their workplace and maximise the benefits to their business and their wellbeing. One in three people worldwide suffers from malnutrition today, making it a massive global concern impacting individuals, businesses and economies; it is hoped that the initiative will reach millions of people worldwide and have a powerful impact on fighting malnutrition globally, while protecting frontline workers and supporting economies. The tool can be used by an employer with one or multiple workplaces across multiple regions and enables them to assess their system-wide performance across different workplace types including factories, corporate offices, retail stores and warehouses. Leading companies are lending their weight to the expansion of workforce nutrition programmes. Olam International has become a Lighthouse Leader for Nutrition Education in the workforce. Google, Inc is a Lighthouse Leader in Healthy Food at Work, and Unilever is a Lighthouse Leader in Nutrition Focused Health Checks. The Workforce Nutrition Alliance is also developing an accompanying implementation support programme that will provide employers with access to leading technical experts who can guide them in putting their enhanced workforce nutrition programme into action. The programme will include resource materials as well as online video training courses. The IGD (Institute of Grocery Distribution) has launched a new guide to help manufacturers take urgent action to increase the amount of food that is redistributed4. The guide, entitled Maximising Food Surplus Redistribution: A Guide For Food Manufacturing Businesses, is the first step in a new programme of work aimed at mobilising the industry to take collective action on this critical issue and urgently accelerate the amount of surplus food being redistributed. With 16% of adults (one in six people) across England, Wales and Northern Ireland experiencing food insecurity, IGD has joined forces with Ben Elliot, Food Surplus and Waste Champion for Defra, and WRAP to launch the guide. This will be followed by the creation of a new online redistribution hub later in June, which will host a comprehensive set of resources to help and support businesses seeking to accelerate food surplus redistribution. Based on conversations with industry partners, IGD has identified the following five stages for successfully accelerating food surplus donations in a manufacturing business: 1 Provide leadership and establish governance 2 Identify levels and types of surplus 3 Select redistribution partner(s) 4 Revise processes and policies 5 Embed processes and continually review. A new study from Rothamsted Research has shown that soybean, an important source of plant-based protein, could be more widely farmed in the UK6. Currently much of Europe's soybean is imported, but there are strong economic and agronomic arguments for boosting local production. Soybean is grown in central and eastern Europe but is less favoured in the North due to climate. Researchers conducted field trials across three seasons and at two sites in the UK to test the viability of early-maturing soybean varieties and used the data from these trials to calibrate and validate the Rothamsted Landscape Model. The model was used to predict the probability that soybean would mature and the associated yield for 26 sites across the UK based on weather data under current, near-future (2041–60) and far-future (2081–2100) climate. The researchers concluded that soybean is likely to be a viable crop in the UK and for similar climates at similar latitudes in Northern Europe in the future but that for yields to be economically attractive for local markets, varieties must be chosen to align with the growing season. Ivy Farm Technologies, an Oxford University spin-out, is aiming to become the first commercial producer of sustainable, cultured meat in the UK5. The initial product will be a slaughter-free sausage – for supermarkets and the restaurant trade from 2023 - followed by meatballs and beefburgers. The company has launched a £16m fund-raising to build a pilot R&D facility in the first step towards producing 12,000 tonnes of cultured pork a year by 2025. A small number of cells are taken from an animal and placed in a bioreactor. The cells are exposed to a mix of vitamins and nutrients so they replicate and produce meat on a unique ‘scaffold’ system in as little as three-to-four weeks. The system is continuous – so muscle and fat can be harvested without disturbing cells growing underneath. The company is already in discussions with the Food Standards Agency, which will have to approve cultured meat before it can go on sale in the UK. Plans are in progress to develop the UK's first School of Sustainable Food and Farming at Harper Adams University, in Shropshire7. Supported by Morrisons, with co-partner RAFT Solutions, the school will draw on academic and practical expertise, as well as industry networks, to develop knowledge and skills for farmers and other businesses in the supply chain, which are committed to reducing the environmental impact of food production. Morrisons has set the objective to be directly supplied by net zero carbon British farms by 2030. The initial targets will be centred around how to achieve net-zero UK agriculture. However, the ambition of the school will include wider aspects of sustainability including biodiversity, animal welfare, rural community support, green energy production and farm profitability. Using knowledge from the research, the school will seek to develop practical advice and guidance to help farmers adjust their practices to be more sustainable. RAFT Solutions will play a key role in developing practical skills training associated with animal breeding and health. Capital investment in real farming projects will enable direct farming engagement with the school, for the benefit of all. Work placements, apprenticeships and other workforce development initiatives are also being considered to support the need for future sustainable food and farming professionals. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has published the findings of a report exploring people's experiences of food during the COVID-19 pandemic in partnership with cross-party think tank Demos8. The report looks to understand how a new food environment created during the pandemic has impacted the public's behaviours and preferences. The research included: a nationally representative survey of 10,069 UK adults, a nationally representative online deliberative method called Polis with 1,006 UK respondents, a series of four deliberative workshops, and an open access survey of 911 adults. Key findings on the public's experience during the pandemic were as follows: • People have stepped in to help prevent new forms of food insecurity caused by people self-isolating by offering informal support, such as shopping for others. • There is a public appetite for the Government to take action to help feed those without the means to feed themselves. Just under two thirds (63%) agreed in the Polis that ‘it is the government's responsibility to make sure no-one goes hungry’. • A significant proportion of the population have bought food more locally or grown more food during the pandemic, reflecting a wider move towards individual self-sufficiency. Many of those who have made this move expect it to continue after the pandemic. • 78% of those surveyed supported the UK keeping its current food quality standards, even if food is more expensive and less competitive in the global market. A similar proportion (82%) also supported maintaining the UK's current animal welfare standards, when presented with the same trade-off against prices and competitiveness. • There has been a complex shift in people's diets during COVID-19, with more home cooking. Although a third (32%) of respondents in the poll reported eating more healthy main meals, a third (33%) ate more unhealthy snacks. • Some of the restrictions and public health advice, such as stay at home, might have encouraged more healthy eating. Those who have cooked more or eaten healthier main meals tend to expect this change to continue. However, this is likely to be somewhat dependent on other changes, such as continued flexible working. Campden BRI is updating guidance on heat preserved foods to help the food and drink industry manage risk in this area with the best practices9. The project, which involves close collaboration with industry experts, will align the new document with current technologies used in the heat preserved foods sector. Covering all packaged and ambient stable foods that receive a thermal process to extend shelf-life, the new guideline will provide expert advice to a large portion of the industry. The guidance will reflect changes in computing technology that have enabled food businesses to operate much more efficiently in all aspects, from ingredient control through to electronic data capture and storage. The bulk of the content will cover four main areas, which are critically important for ensuring food safety, including: • Management of pre-processing stages to avoid spoilage before the thermal process is applied • Correct application of the thermal processing step • Ensuring the packages are hermetically sealed 29-30 June and 16-17 November 2021 FOOD MATTERS LIVE Venue online Web foodmatterslive.com 5-7 July 2021 FOODEX Venue NEC, Birmingham Web foodex.co.uk/ 5-7 July 2021 THE INGREDIENTS SHOW Venue NEC, Birmingham Web theingredientsshow.co.uk/ 19-21 July 2021 IFT ANNUAL MEETING & FOOD EXPO Venue online Web iftevent.org/ 6-7 October 2021 7TH ANNUAL TRANSLATIONAL MICROBIOME CONFERENCE Venue Washington DC, USA Web microbiomeconference.com/ 15-16 October 2021 PLANT BASED WORLD CONFERENCE AND EXPO Venue business Design Centre, London Web plantbasedworldeurope.com/ 1-4 November 2021 35TH EFFOST INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE - HEALTHY INDIVIDUALS, RESILIENT COMMUNITIES, AND GLOBAL FOOD SECURITY Venue Lausanne, Switzerland Web effostconference.com/ 22 Novemeber-2 December 2021 FOOD INGREDIENTS EUROPE Venue Frankfurt and online Web figlobal.com/fieurope/en/home.htm

The global food system has three recognized challenges: (a) increasing the availability of food for consumption; (b) reducing food loss; and (c) reducing food waste. The increasing demand for food for consumption, the increasing quantity of food loss, and the corresponding increase in food waste are resulting in serious health, aesthetic, social, economic, and environmental problems due to a lack of appropriate planning and management. Despite its importance, there is no clear, concise, and comprehensive definition of food consumption, loss, and waste. Generally, food consumption, food loss, and food waste are dealt with separately. This article presents a logically constructed ontological framework of food consumption, loss, and waste. It gives equal importance to all three aspects of global food management. The systemic ontological framework is general, and the analysis can be applied to any country. The framework deconstructs the combinatorial complexity of the problem and explicates the pathways to manage the consumption, loss, and waste. The ontological framework encapsulates 19 × 11 × 7 × 4 × 6 = 35,112 possible components of the challenge. A critical analysis based on available data using the framework will help to develop strategies to deal with the problem. It can help us to discover the gaps and to find ways to bridge the gaps. It is a novel way to conceptualize food consumption, loss, and waste together.

Food waste continues to increase as the population increases. The buildup of food waste can cause environmental pollution and imbalance in the food system. With the potential for various problems that can be caused by food waste and animal husbandry activities, the use of Black Soldier Fly (BSF) larvae is expected in helping organic waste decomposition, as well as becoming an alternative protein source. Therefore, this study aims to study the amino acid profile and the quality of protein concentrate produced from BSF. The amino acid profile of BSF larvae, the protein content, foaming capacity and stability, and emulsion capacity and stability of protein concentrate made from BSF larvae were determined. Based on the results of this study, it was found that BSF larvae contains complete essential amino acid. Furthermore, it was also found that the protein concentrate made from BSF larvae was 79.94 ± 0.49%. BSF larvae protein concentrate has a good ability in forming and maintaining foam, but has a poor ability in forming and maintaining emulsion if compared to bovine serum albumin.

Cutting edge technologies to end food waste

Modelling food demand in the 21st century

Before the COVID-19 pandemic it was widely reported that, in the United States, over 40 percent of food produced was wasted During the pandemic, news reports have described unprecedented household food waste, up by 30 percent according to Republic Services, one of the largest waste management services in the US (Helmer 2020) But upstream, food waste was, and continues to be, equally problematic When institutions such as schools and universities, large businesses, restaurants, and other venues must shut down, so too must the food supply chain for those locations Farmers who produce food for large-scale public use have been unable to redirect their products for grocery markets, and so in many cases their harvests and dairy cannot be used Elsewhere along the chain, farm and other food laborers (e g , meat-packing workers, delivery workers) without access to protection and health care cannot continue to pack and deliver food at "normal" levels, and so potential food has been left in fields and warehouses (Evich 2020)

Food losses and waste have recently been given very high visibility, since the FAO estimates that about 1.3 billion tonnes or a third of all food produced are lost (Gustavsson et al., 2011). Recent reports (Foresight, 2011; Gustavsson et al., 2011) have highlighted the need to reduce them globally to improve food security (HLPE, 2011; FAO, 2012a, b) and to reduce the environmental impact of food systems (FAO, 2012a, b; HLPE, 2012; UNEP 2012a, b). An amount of 1.3 billion tonnes of wasted food can help meet the food needs of over 3 billion people. FAO launched the Save Food Initiative in 2011 to accelerate progress in ending avoidable waste. Food losses and waste were much talked about during the preparation for the Rio+20 Conference (FAO, 2012a, b), which linked the reduction of food losses and waste to the issue of more sustainable food systems and security.

Revealing the effects of fermented food waste on the growth and intestinal microorganisms of black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) larvae

More research less waste

Objectives : Black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) are organisms that effectively decompose various types of organic waste including food waste, and food waste treatment using BSFL is attracting attention as a sustainable waste treatment method. However, food waste discharged from Korea has a wide variety of properties, and its high salt concentration limits its treatment by BSFL. Therefore, to increase the efficiency of food waste treatment using BSFL, it is necessary to increase the quality of food waste as a production medium for BSFL. In this study, the ratio of protein and fat was adjusted by adding bean sprouts and wheat brans to food wastes treated at high temperature under vacuum, and whether such medium is suitable for rearing BSFL was investigated.Methods : To improve the medium, the ratio of protein and fat was adjusted to approximately 2:1 by adding bean sprouts and bran residue to food waste. Subsequently, the growth and development rate of BSFL reared on chicken feed, food waste, food waste + bean sprouts, food waste + wheat bran were measured. Also, the decomposition rate of each medium was analyzed.Results and Discussion : The growth rate of BSFL grown on food waste + wheat bran medium was similar to that of BSFL reared on chicken feed. The speed of development at day 7 was also the fastest for BSFL reared with food waste + wheat bran medium and chicken feed. These results suggest that the mixed medium to which wheat bran has been added to food waste has the potential to be used as a commercial medium for BSFL production. The survival rate of BSFL was 89% or higher in all media.Conclusions : When food waste was used alone, BSFL development was poor compared to that in media combined with agricultural by-products such as bean sprouts and wheat bran. Therefore, to use food waste as a rearing medium of BSFL, it is necessary to adjust the ratio of protein and fat by adding various agricultural by-products and reduce salinity. For the improvement of food waste treatment technology using BSFL, mass rearing of useful insects such as BSFL, and promotion of the use of agricultural by-products, additional research is needed to optimize the composition of rearing medium based on food waste.

Black Soldier Fly (BSF) larvae are known to have the ability to process food loss and waste and reduce the weight of food loss and waste, by producing decomposition products that have beneficial values. Food loss and waste needs to be reduced to reduce the burden of waste entering the Final Disposal (TPA). Aim: The purpose of this study was to determine the ability of BSF larvae and to determine the quality of the decomposition results in processing food loss and waste in the Taman Sari District on a laboratory scale. Methodology and Results: Taman Sari Distrisct is a high dense populated area Total days of bioconversion activity is 12 days, giving back 1,000 grams of municipal waste organic, containing food loss and food waste, according to variation is given repeatedly on the 1st, 5th, and 8th days for each 12 sample code. The amount of 5 days old (5-DOL) maggot used for each sample code is 30 grams. Conclusion, significance, and impact study: The percentage reduction in processing from 3 kg of food loss and waste can reach 86% with the average residue produced in the form of 415.67 grams of solid compost and 221.7 grams of prepupa. Bred prepupa will evolve into several stages: pupa, fly, egg, baby larvae, and 5-DOL for 57 days on its life cycle.

Upcycling to a circular food system

This chapter reviews food losses and waste in sub-Saharan Africa. It gives a general introduction to the terms ‘food loss’ and ‘food waste’ and how they differ. It focusses on the postharvest food losses occurring in sub-Saharan Africa and compares ‘objective measurements’ with ‘perceptions’ of food losses occurring during and after harvest. It also provides an overview of what information is already available regarding food losses and waste in sub-Saharan Africa. The chapter goes on to discuss various challenges and initiatives in reducing food losses and waste and concludes by providing a general summary and several resources for further information.