Food Redistribution Research Articles

Circular supply chain relationships for food redistribution

The issue of food waste has received increased attention in recent years, from both researchers and practitioners, due to the unethical and negative environmental implications of wasting food. Recovering waste effectively depends on existing or emergent relationships between food waste generators and receivers that facilitate food redistribution. Although previous studies have identified the importance of the relational aspect for achieving circularity, the extant literature has not yet fully explored redistribution in practice. The present study fills this void by exploring the formation of relationships for food redistribution that enhance circularity at the end of the food supply chain through 18 interviews in the food donor–receiver dyad. The results of the study reveal four categories – (1) ongoing redistribution, (2) sporadic redistribution, (3) the establishment of new relationships, and (4) relationship imbalance – that highlight that redistribution is supply-driven and thereby depends on a highly responsive demand side. The results are synthesised into a framework that presents improvements in surplus food recovery.

Multidisciplinary Approaches to Food and Foodways in the Medieval Eastern Mediterranean Edited by Sylvie Yona Waksman (Archéologies 4). Lyon: Maison de l’Orient et de la Méditerranée 2020. Pp. 508. €65. ISBN 978-2-35668-070-9 (paper).

<i>Multidisciplinary Approaches to Food and Foodways in the Medieval Eastern Mediterranean</i> Edited by Sylvie Yona Waksman (Archéologies 4). Lyon: Maison de l’Orient et de la Méditerranée 2020. Pp. 508. €65. ISBN 978-2-35668-070-9 (paper).

European food banks and COVID-19: Resilience and innovation in times of crisis

This paper examines the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on the functioning of European food banks and how resilient European food banks were in coping with the pandemic in 2020. We apply a multiple case study to assess how the first year of the pandemic affected European food banks’ operations and the amount of redistributed food. We further investigate innovation practices that have been developed to cope with the new situation, hoping to draw lessons for imminent future waves of the pandemic and other social crises. Our study finds that, compared to 2019, in 2020 food banks were able to redistribute a significantly higher amount of food despite numerous social restrictions and other challenges associated with the pandemic. To explain this, we delve into the organizational innovations implemented by the studied food banks and find that the introduction of new strategies and new internal structures, as well as the establishment of new types of external network relations with other firms and/or public organizations, proved to be particularly important, enabling food banks to respond quickly and effectively to the new emergency. The study thus highlights the role of food banks in food redistribution and food waste reduction in times of crisis.

Donation App Developed Using Flutter Technology

This project is used to manage the wastage of food in a functional way. People are throw away lots of food every day. So we have to lessen that food destruction problem through online. This app is basically a Food Donation App which bridge Food Donors (Caterers, Individuals and Restaurants etc.) and the Receiver (NGOs, Individuals etc.). This app stipulation of details of the leftover food along with pickup address and other relevant details which can be viewed by the Receivers. The Receivers as per their convenience can reach the specified location to collect the food parcel. Efficient management and security of data have been taken care of while developing our product. The user’s details are maintained confidential because it maintains a separate account for each user. This project’s food redistribution ability can become an enormously extensive successful social innovation that tackles food waste and food poverty.

Battling Food Losses and Waste in Saudi Arabia: Mobilizing Regional Efforts and Blending Indigenous Knowledge to Address Global Food Security Challenges

Food Loss and Waste (FLW) that entail substantial economic, environmental, and social cost is of great concern for a country fulfilling &gt; 80% of food demands through the import of agricultural commodities. The current study mainly aimed at bringing together a wide range of perspectives on FLW by multi-stakeholder engagement in order to enhance cooperation and network building with respect to sharing knowledge and experiences on FLW prevention activities along the entire food supply chain for a country located at the geographic frontier facing stubborn challenges of desertification, water scarcity, and harsh climatic conditions. These challenges are not only being addressed at the national level but have also been made the focus of multilateral activities in 2020 as part of the Saudi G20 Presidency. The Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture under the umbrella of the G20 Meeting of Agricultural Chief Scientists (MACS) hosted a regional workshop on FLW in collaboration with the Thünen Institute, Germany, to raise awareness among Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. The present paper provides insights into the current status of FLW by revealing that, overall, 33.1% of the total available food in the Kingdom is lost and wasted during the entire food supply chain. Overall, the GCC countries witnessed higher percentages of food waste compared with food losses. Environmental conditions prevailing in the region necessitate the development of adequate and appropriate cold chain storage facilities for balanced distribution through cold storage transportation facilities along the food supply chain to minimize food losses. However, campaigns and activities to raise awareness with a view of changing attitudes towards reducing FLW by the adoption of good practices, promoting the concept of circular economy practices, and the establishment of food banks for surplus food redistribution are important to mitigate FLW in the Kingdom.

Surplus food redistribution and healthy, sustainable diets: Exploring the contradictions of charitable food provisioning

A substantial body of literature points to the necessity of a ‘Great Food Transformation’ requiring an urgent shift towards sustainable food systems across multiple levels. A key part of this transition is the need to reduce food waste and food loss by 50 percent and where charitable surplus food redistribution is regarded as making an important contribution to this target. Surplus driven charitable food provisioning is now part of the food environment in many countries and is influencing the diets of a significant number of people. Its proponents argue that such work contributes to a more sustainable food system by reducing food waste and food insecurity. However, few studies have examined the factors influencing the governance of food within the charitable food system. This paper seeks to fill this gap in the literature through an examination of recent developments in charitable food provisioning in the Republic of Ireland. Using Cork city as a case study we explore Ireland’s charitable food system by examining the motivations, ideas, and practices of key organisations. The paper highlights the growing role of surplus-driven charitable food systems and argues that the redistribution of surplus products for the purpose of reducing food waste and improving economic efficiency requires re-evaluation within a wider appreciation of sustainable diets, and, ultimately, with regard to strengthening the right to food for all.

Waste not, want not: Managerial attitudes towards mitigating food waste in the Swiss-German restaurant industry

ABSTRACT This paper examines managerial perceptions of challenges for further food waste reduction within the restaurant industry. Although research gauged underlying drivers for food waste, the attitudes of foodservice managers toward practices and the corresponding operational barriers have received scant academic attention. This qualitative study thematically analyzed data from 14 managers and head chefs in Swiss-German restaurants through semi-structured interviews and compared responses against the model of the food waste hierarchy. For businesses, the paper highlights the importance of increased preventive practices and education of staff and customers. However, multiple inhibiting and enabling factors lie outside the organizations’ control, depending on macro and societal contexts. Governmental interventions and facilitating waste collection are necessary, whereas the feasibility of food redistribution is perceived as limited. The study revealed great potential to implement additional practices through increased collaborations with various stakeholders and overall societal sensitization to change consumer behavior and facilitate responsible business practices.

Editorial and News

Editorial and News

Controlling cross‐contamination by food allergens

Controlling cross‐contamination by food allergens

Research on food redistribution model based on principal component analysis and factor analysis

We have divided rebuilding food systems into two phases, one of which is to maximize productivity in a way that maximizes sustainability and economic benefits. Another is to minimize hunger and food insecurity, with regard to equity. Firstly, we use Euclidean Metri and Complete Connection Method for cluster analysis according to the production efficiency and production structure of various foods. Then the countries are classified into countries with different production structures and productivity. Secondly, we quantified sustainability indicators to make standard deviations and risks to food production. Using models, principal component analysis, and factor analysis, we figure out how to distribute food among countries to maximize food productivity worldwide. Thirdly, the model is used to analyze the coefficient of food insecurity and the degree of hunger in each country, so as to obtain the utility level of food distribution in each country. The level of food utility in developed countries is relatively flat, while that in underdeveloped countries is steeper. So, the utility of food distribution in less developed countries is higher than that in developed countries. Therefore, when we measure the total utility of food, we multiply the utility difference of the insecurity factor by the quantity of food mixture and add the original food utility level to maximize the food utility level.

A Game Theoretic Framework for Surplus Food Distribution in Smart Cities and Beyond

Food waste is currently a major challenge for the world. It is the precursor to several socioeconomic problems that are plaguing modern society. To counter and to, simultaneously, stand by the undernourished, surplus food redistribution has surfaced as a viable solution. Information and Communications Technology (ICT)-mediated food redistribution is a highly scalable approach and it percolates into the lives of the masses far better. Even if ICT is not brought into the picture, the presence of food surplus redistribution in developing countries such as India is scarce and is limited to only a few of the major cities. The discussion of a surplus food redistribution framework under strategic settings is a less discussed topic around the globe. This paper aims to address a surplus food redistribution framework under strategic settings, thereby facilitating a smoother exchange of surplus food in the smart cities of developing countries and beyond. As ICT is seamlessly available in smart cities, the paper aims to focus the framework in these cities. However, this can be extended beyond the smart cities to places with greater human involvement.

Food Waste and Nutrition Quality in the Context of Public Health: A Scoping Review.

Food waste and nutrition are intrinsically linked in terms of environmental health and public health. Despite this, it is unknown whether these topics have been previously synthesized into a review. The aim was to identify the interdisciplinary parameters that exist in public health and nutrition literature in terms of food waste and plastic waste associated with food, and to identify how these parameters currently contribute to food sustainability messaging and interventions. A rapid scoping review was conducted. Data were mapped into concepts and synthesized in a narrative review. Four main concepts were identified: (1) food waste and diet quality, nutrient losses, and environmental health, (2) food waste reduction interventions and diet quality, (3) food banks/pantries and diet/nutritional quality, and (4) food and plastic waste messaging in nutrition or dietary guidelines. Food waste is associated with nutrient wastage, and interventions to reduce food waste can successfully address food sustainability and nutrition quality. Food redistribution systems do not currently address access to sustainably sourced foods that are also nutrient-dense for lower-income communities. Opportunities for future research and practice include aligning food waste, plastic waste, and nutrition priorities together and developing better food redistribution systems to limit wastage of high-quality foods.

“Free” food with a side of shame? Combating stigma in emergency food assistance programs in the quest for food justice

Anti-hunger advocates and food geographers have often overlooked the role of emergency food assistance in struggles for food justice, dismissing food assistance as addressing symptoms rather than root causes of food insecurity. Yet, the vast network of food pantries and other free food programs are more than a stop-gap measure for millions of Americans — and thus warrant a closer look at how their practices, policies and spaces feel in practice and with what implications towards food justice goals. In this paper, we argue that barriers to emotionally-accessible food, in the form of neoliberal stigma around “free” food, play a prominent role in shaping peoples’ experiences with food assistance. Based on participatory research with a food redistribution non-profit in Boulder, Colorado, we discuss how the emotional burdens of food insecurity manifest in individual experiences with emergency food assistance programs and staff, leading to isolation and disconnection which actively inhibit more inclusive food systems. This research responds to scholarship in geographies of food and emotion, contributing analysis into how discomforts of (lacking/receiving) food are experienced viscerally. Furthermore, we discuss implications of the emotional (dis)comforts of food assistance when examining the role of emergency food assistance in broader struggles for food justice. To this end, we point to alternative practices in food assistance programs which might actively counteract narratives of neoliberal subjectivities, while simultaneously broadening the food justice community in terms of who feels comfortable participating in, and shaping, more equitable food systems.

Food assistance in Portugal: organizational challenges in three different contexts

PurposeDrawing on an ethnographic research study, developed in three different food assistance initiatives (FAIs) operating in Portugal, this article seeks to explore the elements that characterize them and the main organizational challenges they face.Design/methodology/approachParticipant observation was carried out in a surplus food redistribution charity, a soup kitchen and a social supermarket, and semi-structured interviews were conducted with supervisors of these FAIs. The study followed an inductive coding strategy, and a thematic analysis was developed.FindingsThe main results point to an appreciation of the initiatives and the role they play, but they also highlight the existence of several challenges, mainly related to: 1) difficulties in accessing sources of funding, 2) the absence of an intervening state and 3) a scarcity of resources that allow a thorough assessment of their activities and services provided, which weakens the public image of these responses.Originality/valueThe development of food assistance in Europe has a long history. Over the past few years, this sector has grown significantly. Nowadays, it is possible to identify several realities around emergency food provision. However, this heterogeneity has not been sufficiently explored in the literature. In addition, there are few studies that report on the variety of initiatives that coexist in Portugal and establish a comparison between them. The current paper intends to overcome this gap by seeking to understand the main models of food assistance operating in the country.

Conceptualising household food insecurity in Northern Ireland: risk factors, implications for society and the economy, and recommendations for business and policy response

Household food insecurity in developed nations has been identified as a significant public health concern. Although various research on the topic exists, such as contributors to food insecurity, and implications for individual physical and mental health outcomes; there is currently a lack of consideration as to how individual implications of food insecurity such as poor physical and mental health can consequently impact on business and the wider economy. In addition, there is a lack of conceptual literature related to food insecurity. Stakeholder interviews (n = 19) were conducted, and data were used to inform the conceptual model (risk factors, potential implications for individuals, the economy and business, and opportunities for business and policy response). The main suggested implications related to business and the economy were reduced contribution to the workforce and the economy, and increased cost pressures on the National Health Service. Business responses suggested included the inclusion of initiatives to address food insecurity in corporate social responsibility strategies, and further involvement of food businesses/retailers in redistributing surplus food. Policy responses suggested included policies relating to welfare, wages and work contracts, food redistribution incentives, sustainability, and community interventions in disadvantaged areas. The resulting model is unique in conceptualising food insecurity in the Northern Ireland context, with applicability to the UK and other developed nations.

Cutting edge technologies to end food waste

Cutting edge technologies to end food waste

Opportunities, challenges and trade-offs with decreasing avoidable food waste in the UK.

Around 6 million tonnes of edible food are being wasted (post-farm gate) in the UK each year. This fraction of edible wasted food is known as avoidable food waste. In a circular economy food is a valuable resource that must be captured at all stages of the food supply chain and, where possible, redistributed for consumption. This can prevent avoidable food waste generation, and dissipation of food’s multidimensional value that spans environmental, economic, social, technical and political/organisational impacts. While the importance and benefits of surplus food redistribution have been well documented in the global literature, there are still barriers that prevent perfectly edible food from being wasted. This study looks at the main stages of the food supply chain, and amasses the opportunities, challenges and trade-offs associated with surplus food redistribution to the UK economy. It highlights points in the food system where interventions can be made, to improve food’s circularity and sustainability potential. Stakeholder interrelations, regulatory and socio-economic aspects are discussed in relation to their influence on decreasing avoidable food waste. The main output from this work is a diagrammatic depiction of where challenges and trade-offs occur along the food supply chain, and how policy and socio-economic reforms are needed to maximise avoidable food waste prevention, and the surplus avoidable food redistribution in the food supply chain for social benefit.

Avoidance of Food Waste from a Grocery Retail Store Owner’s Perspective

The aim of this paper is to examine the causes of food waste and potential prevention strategies from a grocery retail store owner’s perspective. We therefore conducted a case study in a German region through semi-structured expert interviews with grocery retail store owners. From the collected responses, we applied a qualitative content analysis. The results indicated that store owners try to avoid food waste as this incurs a financial loss for them that directly affects them personally, as opposed to store managers of supermarket chains who receive a fixed salary. The main causes of food waste in the grocery retail stores in the region surveyed are expiration dates, spoilage, consumer purchasing behavior, and over-ordering of food products. The most appropriate food waste prevention strategies developed by store owners are those based on store owners’ experience and their own management style, such as the optimization of sales and management strategies, including precise planning, accurate ordering, and timely price reductions on soon-to-be-expiring food products. The redistribution of food surpluses as donations to food banks, employees, and as animal feed further helps to reduce the amount of food waste, but not the financial loss. This study enhances the literature by revealing that grocery retail store owners have the ability and are willing to successfully implement and enforce food prevention strategies in their stores.

Quantifying environmental implications of surplus food redistribution to reduce food waste

Ensuring access to food for the most vulnerable is one of the objectives of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Rethinking food production and distribution systems in light of this need makes it imperative to limit the environmental burden of food supply chains to meet the increasing demand of a rapidly growing world population. One of the most important problems of food supply chains is food waste, which leads to a huge waste of resources for the production of foodstuffs that end up not fulfilling the function for which they were produced. A powerful strategy to address this problem is the recovery and redistribution of food that is still edible to socially and economically disadvantaged people. In this article Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is applied to the study of environmental burdens and benefits of food redistribution following attributional and consequential LCA approaches. Data on surplus food recovered is collected from local charities and the impact of their activities is compared with that of the treatment of food waste by incineration, anaerobic digestion and composting. All midpoint impact categories of ReCiPe (hierarchist) are considered in life cycle impact assessment of 1 kg of food wasted or donated. The study highlights the great variability of recovered food locally, with respect to quantity and type. The life cycle of surplus animal-based food has the greatest impact (e.g. up to 70% kg CO2 eq/kg in waste treatment scenario). Food donation reduces the average impact of the studied systems (e.g. 1.9 kg CO2 eq/kg net environmental benefit). However, efficient mechanisms of recovery and redistribution are required, in terms of sizing, consumptions and logistics, to ensure a significant environmental improvement over food waste treatment.

Levering waste taxes to increase surplus food redistribution at supermarkets: Gains and scenarios in Italian municipalities

The redistribution of unsold food products to charities is often considered a promising strategy to reduce food waste at supermarkets while producing social advantages. The Italian law against food waste (so-called “Gadda law”) approved in 2016 allows municipalities to reduce the waste tax due by retail stores, proportionally to the certified amount of surplus food they donate. This option may act as an economic incentive for retailers to activate food waste redistribution initiatives, thus supporting diffusion at a larger scale. This study uses a simple economic model to assess the gains and losses of the municipality and the retailers under different scenarios of the application of this tax reduction. The model is tested on a number of Italian municipalities with different features, showing that under the appropriate conditions a decrease in the waste tax for stores activating food redistribution can lead to a win–win economic condition for all the actors involved.