Food Waste Generation Research Articles

Between perceptions and practices: The religious and cultural aspects of food wastage in households

Understanding the determinants of food provisioning is crucial for efforts to reduce household food wastage. Various studies have identified a web of interrelated socio-demographic characteristics, values, attitudes, and skills as drivers of household food wastage. Our contribution is in exploring the relationship between cultural and religious views and food waste generation. We do that in the context of three social groups in Israel: secular Jews, religious Jews, and Muslim Arabs. We interviewed 27 individuals who have a certain standing in their respective communities with broad perspective of the cultural context of food-related issues. Our results highlight the conflict between religious and secular values and actual food wastage practices. We identified several factors that lead to household food wastage: past scarcity, the consumer culture, and hospitality. We found various ways by which cultural and religious values shape food-waste perceptions. Results show a dissonance between food-related motivations and actual practices. We also demonstrate how the dissonance can be reconciled, both on the level of justification and on the level of action.

Food Recognition and Food Waste Estimation Using Convolutional Neural Network

In this study, an evaluation of food waste generation was conducted, using images taken before and after the daily meals of people aged between 20 and 30 years in Serbia, for the period between 1 January and 31 April in 2022. A convolutional neural network (CNN) was employed for the tasks of recognizing food images before the meal and estimating the percentage of food waste according to the photographs taken. Keeping in mind the vast variates and types of food available, the image recognition and validation of food items present a generally very challenging task. Nevertheless, deep learning has recently been shown to be a very potent image recognition procedure, while CNN presents a state-of-the-art method of deep learning. The CNN technique was implemented to the food detection and food waste estimation tasks throughout the parameter optimization procedure. The images of the most frequently encountered food items were collected from the internet to create an image dataset, covering 157 food categories, which was used to evaluate recognition performance. Each category included between 50 and 200 images, while the total number of images in the database reached 23,552. The CNN model presented good prediction capabilities, showing an accuracy of 0.988 and a loss of 0.102, after the network training cycle. The average food waste per meal, in the frame of the analysis in Serbia, was 21.3%, according to the images collected for food waste evaluation.

Decomposing Process of Food Waste using Black Soldier Fly Larvae (BSFL): Case Study in Taman Pura Kencana, Johor

Food waste is one of the critical issues which has been discussed in many countries including Malaysia. Apart from that, about 50% of food waste usually being dumped at landfill sites and incinerators which root to more problems towards the environment, economic and society. In this research, Taman Pura Kencana, Johor was chosen to identify the average total of food waste generation from selected households in 3 months from April 2021 to June 2021and to determine decomposing days of food waste using BSFL.Raosoft Sample Size Calculator was used to calculate sample respondents bringing 48 households in this research. Hence,the average total of food waste generation from households per month was1056.82 kgThe collection of food waste from selected households in Taman Pura Kencana during the normal month of June was the highest compared to the fasting month in April and Eid month in May.25samples of food wastewere examined to identify duration of decomposing daysusing BSFLbased on pH, temperature and moisture content.The results showed that, the food waste successfully decompose after 10 days compare to control sample whichwas taking the longest time to fully decompose at about 90 days.The range of average temperature of the food waste using BSFL were 27°C to 34°C.The initial range of average pH value for the food waste samples were 3.22 to 4.00 while on the last decomposing days of the food waste samples were 7.06 to 7.12.Moisture content for food waste samples is51% except for control sample.Inconclusion, BSFL werethe ideal insects to decrease amount of food waste in landfills and incinerators as they could accelerate the time of composting food wasteand could reduce the negative impacts towards the environment, economic and society.This research’s findings will help create awareness and a better understanding of how much food waste could be generated from residential area, as this contributes to many negative issues when discarding them through landfills and incinerators.

Halving food waste generation by 2030: The challenges and strategies of monitoring UN sustainable development goal target 12.3

This paper examines the challenges in monitoring target 12.3 of United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goal 12 (SDG 12) under the SDG 2030 17 significant goals. SDG 12 focuses on ensuring production and consumption patterns are sustainable. Target 12.3 aims to reduce food waste by 50% at the retail and consumption stage and food loss at the production stage, including post-harvest losses, by 2030. With the help of SDG reports, an extensive literature review and expert opinions, 14 challenges were selected and hybrid multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) was applied. The first phase obtained the inter-relationship between the challenges using interpretive structural modeling (ISM). The second phase included quantification and ranking of the challenges using fuzzy AHP methodology. Probable strategies to overcome these challenges in emerging economies are discussed and ranked using the VIKOR methodology in the third phase, as no single approach can combat all the obstacles. This is the first to examine the challenges and possibilities of monitoring UN SDG target 12.3 in emerging economies like India. The results indicate that data availability, education in sustainable consumption and production (SCP) patterns, financing of SDG targets and data use are the main obstacles to monitoring and achieving target 12.3.

Residents’ perceptions of household food waste during the COVID-19 outbreak in Korea

Analyzing household food waste data at the global or national level remains a challenge, especially owing to lack of statistical systems and socio-cultural differences. This study determined the factors affecting the intention of households to reduce food waste on Jeju Island and on the Korean mainland. Socio-demographic factors significantly influence household food waste generation. Therefore, studies are often conducted depending on data availability in the corresponding regions. Based on national data and the theory of planned behavior, this study analyzed data using PLS-SEM (Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling) to test the influence of multiple determinants and parameters on dependent variables and investigated the awareness of household food waste in Korea, focusing on Jeju Province, Korea’s largest tourist destination. A survey of 508 local residents established that all factors evaluated in this study, except for risk concerns due to COVID-19, were statistically significant. Among the three antecedents of age, income, and family size, age significantly affected all mediators, directly affecting behavioral intentions. The results are consistent with those of preceding research on the effects of socio-demographic drivers on household food waste generation. The results also indicate that in Korea, where the COVID-19 infection level is lower than that in other countries, residents did not change their food purchasing and waste production patterns. However, a multi-group analysis revealed that the risk concerns caused by COVID-19 differed between residents of Jeju Island and mainland Korea. Overcoming the vulnerability of waste management, including food dumping, is mandatory for locals and tourists on Jeju Island.

An Investigation into the Causes of Food Waste by Tourists in All-inclusive Resorts in Turkey

ABSTRACT It is well-established that tourists play a significant role in food waste generation. This issue, however, has been under-examined from the perspectives of tourists. In this regard, this study attempted to understand the reasons for the excessive amount of waste generated by tourists in all-inclusive resorts and examine tourists’ food waste behavior through an exploratory approach. In this context, semi-structured interviews were conducted face-to-face with 26 regular holidaymakers at all-inclusive resorts. The factors affecting tourists’ food waste behavior were categorized into three main themes: food-related, tourist-related, and holiday-related factors. Findings revealed that food waste behavior was pervasive among tourists. It was also discovered that tourists denied their involvement in food waste, claiming that “other tourists” contributed more to food waste generation. A comprehensive model of food waste behavior of tourists was developed within the scope of this study.

Food Waste and Carbon Footprint Assessment of Eateries in Kelantan, Malaysia

Introduction: Food service establishments in Malaysia have grown positively in response to the rising demand for dining out and takeaway food. However, they also exert a high demand for energy resources and contribute to negative environmental impacts. In this study, an environmental assessment of food waste generation was carried out alongside carbon footprint quantification across electricity and water consumption in two different food service establishments with a focus on cafeterias and casual dining restaurants. Methods: Ten food premises with the same criteria in service were selected, consisting of cafeterias and Thai food restaurants located in Kelantan state of Malaysia. Food waste from preparation losses, serving losses and plate waste were collected and measured for a 7-day period to establish respective quantities. Material Flow Analysis (MFA) was used to visualize the material flow from the operation of both the cafeterias and Thai food restaurants while carbon footprint analysis was undertaken to calculate carbon emissions. Results: The findings revealed consistent results for both the cafeterias and Thai food restaurants as higher proportions of food waste arose from customer plate waste (67.99% and 62.12%) rather than preparation losses (32.01% and 37.88%). It was identified that cafeterias contribute larger volumes of carbon emissions for both electricity (105.93 kgCO2e) and water related consumption (8.39 kgCO2e) compared to Thai food restaurants (57.58 kgCO2e and 3.63 kgCO2e). Conclusion: These findings may provide guidance for the food service management to recognize the priority areas of improvement in reducing environmental impact associated food service sector.

The Distribution of Temperature on Aerobic Composting of Food Waste: Experimental studies and CFD analysis.

Food waste generation has a significant impact on the economy, society, and environment. Indonesia as the second-largest contributor of food waste, face this problem. Food waste generation increased for 20 years and contributed to more than 40% of solid waste in Indonesia. The government has a strategy to reduce the generation and disposal of food waste in landfills. One of the methods used is by recycling used composting. The composting method that is usually used is aerobic composting. Several factors affected the process and the rate-limiting step in oxygen concentration. This paper aims to analyze the effect of oxygen on the temperature during composting. Temperature is one of the parameters that could be used to analyze the process and determine the maturity of compost.The research in this paper utilized CFD modeling to describe the dynamic changes and spatial distribution of temperature in the aerobic composting process using mass-heat-momentum coupling based on microbial mechanisms. The equations used are based on several previous research and journals. Composting experiments were carried out with the aeration method at intervals to verify the proposed model. The microorganisms’ growth affects oxygen concentration which then affects the temperature distribution of the composting process. The simulation results show that the model accurately predicts the dynamic temperature changes and their distribution on the composting substrate. The proposed CFD model shows promising results and simulates the actual working conditions of the aerobic composting process.

Food Waste Volume, Origin and Causes: Case Study in a Tunisian University Canteen

Food waste reduction strategy involves a quantification of food waste generation. This work aimed to evaluate the volume and the type of post consumption food waste and to identify its main causes in a university canteen (INAT, Tunis, Tunisia). Based on a direct method, wasted food was weighed with an electronic scale, during 23 working days. Three main food groups were quantified: prepared food (PF), plate waste (PW), which is the amount of food rejected by students and left on their plates, and non-served food (NS), which is the amount of food not distributed to diners and remaining in the serving bowls. Daily direct quantification has revealed that average meals served was 209 kg/day, whereas as average food daily waste was 15.90 % of PF, 0.074 kg per student and 13.4% of PF were non-served. The average index of waste/consumption was approximately 17 %, and classified as bad, and the per capita plate was 29.3 g. The daily quantities of food waste varied from 0 to 15 kg. The most rejected foodstuffs were stews (25.3%), pasta and cereal products (20.7%), and especially bread with a waste percentage of 43%. Cause and effect diagram coupled with interviews and survey allowed identifying principal causes for the food waste generation: perceived sensory quality, poor food presentation, poor menu planning and poor management of the fluctuation of the students’ number (the quantities served were not adjusted) as well as customers’ behaviours and habits. The cost of this food waste was estimated to 15.2% of the canteen annual budget. Potential interventions for food waste preventions are discussed.

Effect of thermal and ultrasonic pretreatment on lactic acid fermentation of food waste.

Food waste (FW) generation has become one of the largest environmental concerns for human society. Thanks to its chemical features and its high biodegradability, FW can be used as starting platform to produce biocommodities. Lactic acid (LA) is one of those chemicals that is gaining the attention of industry and research for its important role in polylactic acids production. To exploit better the organic content of FW, several FW pretreatments have been proposed in the literature, though none of them were aimed at influencing LA fermentation. Thermal and ultrasonic pretreatment effects on solubilization rates and LA production yields have been investigated in this batch study. The highest solubilization rate was achieved with 30 minutes ultrasonic pretreated FW resulting in a 15% increment in soluble COD (sCOD). The highest LA yield was obtained after 90-minute thermal pretreatment at 80 and 100°C at a yield of 0.49 g LA•g COD-1. This study shows that ultrasonic pretreatment generally performed better than thermal pretreatment when considering the increase in sCOD but caused a reduction in LA concentrations and yields after fermentation with high production of ethanol. The opposite trend was recorded in the thermal pretreated incubations, in which LA was present for 50% of the sCOD with higher LA concentrations of 2.90 g COD•L-1.

Evaluation of methane generation rate and energy recovery potential of municipal solid waste using anaerobic digestion and landfilling: A case study of Dhanbad, India.

In this study, two most common biological waste to energy conversion techniques have been analysed and compared on the basis of methane generation and energy recovery potential. The biogas generation potential has been estimated using anaerobic co-digestion experiment. The main substrate used for this study was food waste, while cow dung and anaerobic digester sludge were used as co-digestion substrates. Food waste was used because of its maximum composition (36% of total wastes) in the study area (Dhanbad city, India) with high biogas generation potential. Cow dung acted as a natural buffer, while anaerobic digester sludge was a source of active inoculum. Based on the maximum biogas yield of 402 mL g-1 VS and annual food waste generation rate in the study area, the energy recovery potential using anaerobic digestion was estimated to be 6.59 × 106 kWh year-1. Presently, the wastes in the mixed form are being dumped on a large abandoned land with an approximate area of 93 ha in the outskirts of Dhanbad city in an uncontrolled manner. The annual landfill gas generation from the existing landfill has been estimated using Landfill Gas Emissions Model (LandGEM) based on the waste characteristics, anticipated landfill life and other region-specific parameters of the present study area. The maximum electrical energy recovery potential of 44.62 × 105 kWh from landfill gas has been estimated for the year 2041. Although, the results are based on the waste generation and characteristics of Dhanbad city, the comparison methodology can be applied to other cities.

A Tool for the Selection of Food Waste Management Approaches for the Hospitality and Food Service Sector in the UK

The UK government has been calling for action in tackling food waste (FW) generation, to which the Hospitality and Food Services (HaFS) sector contributes substantially. Decision-making tools that inform the selection of appropriate FW management (FWM) processes in the HaFS sector are lacking. This study fills this gap by offering a conceptual decision-making tool that supports selecting appropriate and commercially available FW processing techniques for the HaFS sector. The study initially conducted an exploratory analysis of on-site and off-site FWM options commercially available in the UK to inform the development of a two-tier decision-making framework. A set of steering criteria was developed and refined via stakeholder consultations to create flowcharts that guide the selection of FWM options, i.e., Tier 1 of the framework. Tier 2 refines the FWM process selection using a comparative sustainability scorecard of FWM options performance developed through a rapid systematic evidence mapping. The main outcome of this study is a flexible decision-making tool that allows stakeholders to participate in the decision-making process and facilitate the selection of tailored-based FWM processes that better suit their circumstances and needs. This approach to decision-making is more likely to enable solutions that facilitate the sustainable management of wasted resources and promote circularity.

Halochromic Inks Applied on Cardboard for Food Spoilage Monitorization.

Control of food spoilage is a critical concern in the current world scenario, not only to ensure the quality and safety of food but also to avoid the generation of food waste. This paper evaluates a dual-sensor strategy using six different pH indicators stamped on cardboard for the detection of spoilage in three different foods: beef, salmon, and strawberries. After function validation and formulation optimizations in the laboratory, the halochromic sensors methyl orange and bromocresol purple 2% (w/v) were stamped on cardboard and, in contact with the previously mentioned foods, were able to produce an easily perceptible signal for spoilage by changing color. Additionally, when it comes to mechanical characterization the inks showed high abrasion (>100 cycles) and adhesion resistance (>91%).

Vegetable seeds: A new perspective in future food development

Traditionally, vegetables are consumed as ingredients of daily household meals. Before cooking, vegetables are washed thoroughly, unpeeled, and deseeded, followed by chopping into desired shapes and sizes. Vegetable peels and seeds are also byproducts of various food industries. If they are not used, they will contribute significantly to global garbage. On the contrary, developing novel functional foods and food ingredients out of unorthodox sources has become a trending issue among researchers. The focus of this review was to access the utility of seed flour from 16 commonly eaten seed-bearing vegetables such as ash gourd (Benincasa hispida), bitter gourd (Momordica charantia), bottle gourd (Lagenaria siceraria), buffalo gourd (Cucurbita foetidissima), capsicum (Capsicum annuum), drumstick (Moringa oleifera), Gnetum (Gnetum gnemon), hemp (Cannabis sativa), lady's finger (Abelmoschus esculentus), noni (Morinda citrifolia), pointed gourd (Trichosanthes dioica), pumpkin (Cucurbita maxima), ridge gourd (Luffa acutangular), snake gourd (Trichosanthes cucumerina), spine gourd (Momordica dioica), and tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) have been presented. A complete picture of the nutritional qualities, phytochemical constituents, health benefits of these vegetable seeds, and their impact on the fortification of ready-to-eat foods have been illustrated. The development of functional food goods (bakery products, milk products, cereal-based products, and meat products) from food waste (vegetable seeds) is extensively discussed in this study. It also highlights possible research gaps related to this field. Novelty impact statement Waste management is a key challenge to achieve the goal of sustainable development, particularly for the vegetable processing industries. Vegetable seeds contribute a hefty share in food waste generation and can be valorized as a food fortification and/or preservation agent.

Food waste generated by the Mauritian hotel industry

Purpose This study aims to shed light on the phenomenon of food waste generation by the food and beverage sector of hotels of Mauritius as well as examine the current status of food waste management.

“A cluster-based spatial analysis of recycling boundaries aligning anaerobic digestion infrastructure with food waste generation in California”

In 2016, California passed Senate Bill (SB) 1383 to reduce short-lived climate pollutants, including methane gas. Towards this end, the law specifically mandates a 75% reduction of organic waste, including food waste (FW), from landfills by 2025. However, current infrastructural capacity to treat this diverted organic waste is limited throughout the state, so new facilities will need to be built to treat these valuable waste flows. The purpose of this study is to investigate ideal size and scale of new facilities that maximize FW treatment and minimize GHG emissions. To do so, this study uses a case study of Los Angeles County to model a decentralized network of small-scale, containerized anerobic digestors (ADs) for treatment of FW in the region. A spatial FW dataset developed for this study is used with a novel iterative-descent clustering model to simulate potential “FW-sheds” of ADs using Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Monte Carlo simulation was used to generate a range of model results and a GHG analysis of FW collection is used to compare systems of two different AD capacities. The results of this analysis show that food waste is ideal for recycling at relatively small spatial scales as hauling burden of FW is reduced in these systems. The proposed infrastructure modeling approach is a first step of developing a zero net energy infrastructural solution that promotes a circular economy of food in direct response to SB 1383 and, more broadly, global climate change.

Navigating Towards Sustainable Development: Determinant and Prevention Strategies for Household Food Waste in Malaysia

The amount of food discarded by Malaysian households is substantial, to a great extent, avoidable. Minimizing food waste at the household level, therefore, plays a crucial part in the food chain responsibility. The little review has considered the effectiveness of interventions aimed at preventing food waste on itinerary stages of the food system. This significant gap, if filled, could help support those looking at reducing food waste in the developing world, providing knowledge of what interventions are specifically effective at preventing food waste. By using an extensive literature review, this paper clarified factors influencing food waste generation based on itinerary stages. This paper outlines five antecedents and recommendations for food waste reduction at the household level by using four strategies including sharing extra food and cooking, planned purchase schedule, skills on storing fresh food, and understanding family preferences which eventually can contribute to sustainable development goals. The integrated strategies are fruitful in improving household food waste management and preventing food waste generation as well as remedying existing policy gaps in Malaysia.

The Proof Is in the Pudding: Using a Randomized Controlled Trial to Evaluate the Long-Term Effectiveness of a Household Food Waste Reduction Intervention During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

To halve per capita global food waste by 2030, policies and programs that effectively reduce household food waste generation are needed. Building upon a previous randomized controlled trial, this study evaluated the long-term effectiveness of the “Reduce Food Waste, Save Money” household food waste reduction intervention by comparing direct measurements of household food waste generated by treatment (n = 47) and control households (n = 52) over three time periods. The results indicate that there has been a long-term, sustained 30% reduction of avoidable food waste sent to landfill by treatment households following the implementation of this intervention. Additionally, this study assessed the impact of pandemic circumstances on the quantity and composition of household food waste by comparing direct measurements of food waste generated by the same households before (October 2017) and during (June 2020) the COVID-19 pandemic. During the first wave of the pandemic in Ontario, Canada, study households (n = 99) sent 2.98 kg of food waste to landfill per week, of which 54% was classified as avoidable food waste, and the remaining 46% as unavoidable food waste. During the pandemic, the generation of unavoidable food waste significantly increased by 65% (p < 0.01). There were also significant changes to the composition of wasted food, including a 78% increase in avoidable fruit and vegetables (p < 0.01), a 228% increase in avoidable other food (p < 0.01), and an 84% increase in unavoidable other food (p = 0.02).

Production of biogas from food waste in laboratory scale dry anaerobic digester under mesophilic condition

Organic matter specifically food and vegetable waste contains the utmost proportion of the composition of solid waste in Bangladesh. It is estimated that the food waste generation rate of Bangladesh University of Professionals (BUP) from its two major waste generation sources field mess and vista cafeteria is around 130–140 kg/day. There is an increasing concern to reduce this food waste burden by adopting appropriate measures. Therefore, the prime objective of this study was to manage the food waste generated in BUP by producing biogas through laboratory-scale dry anaerobic digestion processes under mesophilic conditions. The proximate analysis of food wastes or feedstock revealed that the solid content of feedstock was more than 15% which is considered suitable for dry anaerobic digestion. In this study, three different DAD (dry anaerobic digestion) models or digesters were designed and executed in 2 phases. It was observed that around 2079 ml (0.55 gal) biogas was produced on the 37th day of the second phase while no biogas was produced in the first phase during the residence time (14–50 days). The produced biogas's potential test showed that the biogas began to burn a shade of blue which confirmed the energy potentiality. Hence, the study's results suggest that the dry anaerobic digestion approach appears promising to generate biogas in the context of the growing energy demand using renewable energy sources as well as contributing to food waste minimization of BUP while promoting environmental, social, and economic benefits for the local sustainable development.

The role of U.S. policy in advancing circular economy solutions for wasted food

Food waste is a growing global sustainability challenge. The United States plays a major role in food waste generation and yet has seen limited progress toward significantly reducing the amount of food ultimately being landfilled. Circular economy offers a compelling alternative to the current linear management of food and food waste, but the U.S. also lacks comprehensive public policy that would enable circular economy in the food system. This article provides a systemic analysis of U.S. federal and state policy to identify whether current regulations and initiatives are helping or hindering circular food waste management. One key finding is that the U.S. has ambitious national goals and initiatives aimed at reducing and recovering wasted food, but these efforts are voluntary and lack enforcement mechanisms. Individual states have enacted a wide array of policies expected to both directly and indirectly influence wasted food generation and management, including highly variable requirements for food date labeling and using excess food as animal feed. The majority of U.S. states have policies in place that would support donation of excess food for human use, and a few actually mandate wasted food management through landfill bans or diversion targets. However, the heterogeneity inherent to the observed “patchwork” of state policies is expected to confound broader circular economy goals and potentially limit new business models and stakeholder participation. Therefore, high priorities for policy efforts include federal standardization of date labeling and regional harmonization of state rescue and redistribution policies to support efficient business implementation and compliance.