Food Waste Prevention Research Articles

What to Do with Food Waste? A Holistic Feasibility Framework to Evaluate Different Solutions

Food waste is generated at several stages of the food chain. According to the European Waste Hierarchy, the creation of food waste should above all be prevented, meaning that waste materials with good microbial and nutritional quality should be directed to food use, either directly or through light processing. However, to be feasible, food waste utilisation solutions should be economically profitable, environmentally sustainable and scalable to provide a means to utilise a larger share of the raw materials. In this study, we propose a feasibility evaluation approach for food waste utilisation and prevention solutions. We use two case examples: (1) an artisan bar soap product based on carrot peels, and (2) the retail selling of 2nd class carrots. Both cases are evaluated with six feasibility indicators: edible food waste reduction potential, scalability, level at waste hierarchy, climate impact reduction potential, economic impact, and social impact. Case 2 performed better regarding all indicators other than economic impact. Critical aspects that need to be improved included climate reduction potential for both cases and food waste reduction potential for case 1. The results show that this kind of a holistic approach is useful in identifying the most feasible food waste prevention and utilisation measures.

MOBILE APPLICATIONS AS A NEXT GENERATION SOLUTION TO PREVENT FOOD WASTE

Current study addresses the role of mobile applications of platforms developed to prevent food waste recently. Sustainability consciousness have usually been handled in the field. By examining the role of mobile applications this study wants to make a unique contribution to the sustainability literature. To do this we developed a research model according to the relevant literature and tested it on 439 people whom we access through social media. The findings indicate that people who care about sustainability also care about food waste and convert their attitude into sustainable purchase behavior over mobile applications selling food available to prevent waste. This outcome behavior is mediated by attitude towards mobile applications. However, people might prioritize the health concerns as far as risky conditions about those foods concerned. Implications to the policymakers and practitioners are put forward.

Food waste perceptions and reported behaviours during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic: Evidence from Bosnia and Herzegovina.

An increasing corpus of data demonstrated the disruptive impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on food consumption habits, particularly food waste, but the Balkan area is often overlooked. Accordingly, this study investigates the immediate effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on consumer knowledge and reported behaviours linked to food waste in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The research was based on an online survey with 2425 participants using the Google forms platform from 10 April to 10 May 2020. This period coincided with the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Consumers’ behaviours regarding where and how often they buy food, their attitude towards food labels, food provision and particularly the amounts and values of food waste and how they handle it were investigated. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics methods, and the significance of the association between variables was determined using nonparametric and multivariate statistical tests. The study’s findings revealed that (i) Bosnia has a low rate of household food waste and a favourable attitude towards food waste prevention, (ii) the majority of the respondents are familiar with the most common expiry labels, notably ‘use by’ and ‘best before’ and (iii) consumers adjusted their buying and consumption patterns due to the pandemic. The findings of this research are essential for developing evidence-based policy in Bosnia and Herzegovina during the post-pandemic recovery period since they are unique to that country. Indeed, the crisis’ lessons and insights may be used to help move towards more sustainable consumption habits.

Exploring food waste prevention through advent food consumption: The role of perceived concern, consumer value, and impulse buying

Every year, about one-third of food intended for human consumption is wasted along the distribution chain, in which advent food contributes a significant portion. Advent food marketing and consumption are suggested as the primary channel to use advent food and reduce food waste. With the booming of the advent food market, it is necessary to explore factors attributed to advent food purchase and food waste reduction behaviors. This study explored what consumer concern and value might influence food waste reduction intention in the context of advent food consumption. Based on a survey of Chinese consumers (N = 509), this study develops a structural equation and tests the hypotheses with consistent Smart-pls software. Results show that, as expected, health concerns, utilitarian value, and impulse buying significantly affect food waste reduction intention. Price concern, utilitarian value, and hedonic value exert direct positive effects on impulse buying, which negatively influence food waste reduction intention. In the mediating effect analysis, impulse buying partially mediates the relationship between price concern and food waste reduction intention. Theoretical and managerial implications and recommendations for future research are discussed.

Tax Incentives for Food Donations – a General Overview

The study analyses tax law regulations in force in Poland and in selected European Union countries which may influence attitudes of entrepreneurs (taxpayers) in taking actions aimed at preventing food waste. This analysis demonstrates that all countries investigated in this study have made attempts to develop and implement various measures to combat the problem of food waste. At the same time, it is worth noting that properly constructed tax preferences are an important factor in preventing food waste, which is part of the sustainable development strategy implemented by European Union countries. In this respect, actions must be long-term and they should be based on various legal measures. Further changes in this area will be determined by some key factors. These include the need to use tax law regulations or to determine economic and social trends. Directions of activities of the state, local government and non-governmental organizations for counteracting food waste will also set course for these changes. Achieving sustainable development also at the stage of using food already produced should be based on optimization of all related processes, and thus also financial (mainly tax) processes. Therefore, attention should be paid in particular to the tax legislation in force in Poland and in selected European Union countries, i.e. the Act on tax on goods and services and the Act on corporate income tax.

Rebound effects of food waste prevention: Environmental impacts

Food waste prevention across the food supply chain has been addressed by the European Union (EU) as the top priority to reduce farm-to-fork impacts. Despite the environmental benefits of food waste prevention are widely acknowledged, life cycle assessments usually do not account for rebound effects, the inclusion of which may decrease or even cancel out the expected environmental savings. Rebound effects are understood as the re-spending of accrued monetary savings, determined by the implementation of food waste prevention initiatives, either on the same product (i.e. direct effects - food) or on other products and/or services (i.e. indirect – non-food) including economy-wide effects (macroeconomic rebound effects). Macroeconomic rebound effects were quantified by means of the global equilibrium model Fidelio and were then converted into environmental impacts by performing an environmentally extended input–output analysis based on the assessment method Environmental Footprint 3.0. From an environmental and an economic perspective, it was found that food waste prevention initiatives across the entire food supply chain were beneficial, but efforts targeting households should be prioritised as the largest potential savings were obtained at this stage. Prevention initiatives implemented at households were associated with potential savings of up to 1 t CO2-eq. t−1, which was reduced to a potential saving of 0.6 t CO2-eq. t−1, corresponding to a 38 % decrease, when accounting for macroeconomic rebound effects. Finally, our results highlighted the importance of accounting for adjustment costs in the production stages of the food supply chain.

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.

A data-driven decision support system with smart packaging in grocery store supply chains during outbreaks

The unexpected emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic has changed how grocery shopping is done. The grocery retail stores need to ensure hygiene, quality, and safety concerns in-store shopping by providing “no-touch” smart packaging solutions for agri-food products. The benefit of smart packaging is to inform consumers about the freshness level of a packaged product without having direct contact. This paper proposes a data-driven decision support system that uses smart packaging as a smart product-service system to manage the sustainable grocery store supply chain during outbreaks to prevent food waste. The proposed model dynamically updates the price of a packaged perishable product depending on freshness level while reducing food waste and the number of rejected customers and maximising profit by increasing the inventory turnover rate of grocery stores. The model was tested on a hypothetical but realistic case study of a single product. The results of this study showed that stock capacities, freshness discount rate, freshness period, and quantity discounts significantly affect the performance of a grocery store supply chain during outbreaks.

Food Waste at Household and Social Gatherings: Drivers and Possible Remedies

Over the course of the food supply chain, approximately one-quarter of the food produced for human consumption is thrown away. According to the World Food Waste Survey, food waste created at the household level accounts for almost half of the total food waste. Agrowing number of people are becoming concerned about food security and environmental consequences, such as resource depletion and greenhouse gas emissions associated with food waste. This has heightened public awareness of the issue. Despite the fact that food waste happens at every level of the food supply chain, private households have been recognized as being the primary source of food waste production. However, there is currently a lack of studies about the factors that influence consumer food waste behavior. This paper presents a twofold study. In the first section, this paper maps drivers of food waste at household level along with the remedies backed by extensive literature review. In the second section, this study identifies factors which are responsible for food waste in social gathering with special reference to weddings along with solutions to prevent food waste in the context to social gathering through systematically reviewing empirical studies on food waste practices. The results of the study demonstrate that food waste is a complex and multi-faceted issue that cannot be reduced to a single variable; as a result, a more comprehensive integration of multiple academic viewpoints is required. The mapping of the factors of waste creation allows for a more in-depth knowledge of household habits, party organizers’practices, guest behaviors toward food, and the development of food waste control policies. Finally, we connect the factors that have been found with formulation of policy, business, and social responsibilities. This study will be a value addition in the existing pool of literature concerned with responsible consumption and sustainable practices.

Food choice motives and dining-out leftover prevention behavior: Integrated perspectives of planned behavior and norm activation

To help solve the global food waste crisis, this study focuses on the mechanism of food choice motives and dining-out leftover prevention behavior. Based on theory of planned behavior and norm activation theory, this study presents a research model with food choice motives, intention to avoid food waste, social norm, and dining-out leftover prevention behavior. A total of 978 valid survey responses were gathered from restaurant customers in Taiwan. Analytical results show that food choice motives are positively related to intention to avoid food waste, and intention to avoid food waste is positively related to dining-out leftover prevention behavior. Furthermore, intention to avoid food waste mediates the relationships between food choice motives and dining-out leftover prevention behavior. This study also finds significant moderating effects of social norm on the effects of price sensitivity and ethical concern on intention to avoid food waste.

Bounce back of almost wasted food: Redistribution of fresh fruit and vegetables surpluses from Istanbul's supermarkets

In recent years, there has been growing international consensus to prioritize food waste prevention. Addressing the prevention interventions of food waste re-emphasizes the requirement of reducing and ‘rescuing’ food surplus which would otherwise be wasted. Redistribution of surplus food is one of the ways to prevent potential food waste in supermarkets. This research, handling fresh fruit and vegetables surplus, attempts to provide an assessment of the food waste prevention intervention in retail stores thanks to redistribution. Data on surplus food rescued is collected from 97 stores in Istanbul metropolitan city and prevented food waste represents the surplus food that is sent to landfills at other times. The results show that it is possible to prevent 60% of fresh fruit and vegetable waste via redistribution of surplus food. In this article, life cycle assessment was used to compare the environmental impacts of the baseline situation where surplus food is redistributed with those linked to waste treatment scenarios. Analyzing 528.8 tons of surplus fruit and vegetables generated in 97 stores over 18 months, the environmental impacts avoided by redistributing surplus food were found to be: 375.1*10³ CO2-eq, 209.5*10³ m3 water, 135.8*104 MJ. The avoided economic impact was at a minimum of 1.42 million Turkish Liras (worth US $186,817 in 2020). Assessing food waste prevention interventions based on life cycle thinking with data from real-life cases would encourage such initiatives by identified environmental and economic benefits. This study has revealed that the potential of surplus food in supermarkets has not yet been noticed in countries which have no special legislation as Turkey. The results obtained by the research could be used by and help policymakers and the private sector to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals concerning food loss and waste reduction targets at the retail level.

Preventing Food Waste by the Shelf-Life Dynamical Control in Smart Homes

Currently, smart homes are designed and improved according to four main goals: residents’ wellness, security, comfort, and reduced energy waste. No focus has yet been reserved for one of the most impacting problems of recent years: domestic food waste. In this context, this letter proposes a case study that jointly involves recent advances in smart homes and the need for food waste reduction. The proposed system is divided into two main blocks: the sensing block and the actuation one. The sensing block consists of multiple nodes, which, in the proposed case study, work as dynamic labels being stuck to the good to be monitored. Each node embeds, on a miniaturized board, a set of sensors (i.e., temperature, humidity, and ambient light), whose outcomes are used to extract, <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">on-board</i> , the dynamic food shelf life (SL). The presence of an onboard inertial measurement unit also permits the nodes' localization inside the environment. If a sudden decrease in the food SL is recorded by the node and no human interventions occur in a preset timeout, the node is designed to send a call for intervention to the actuation block. In this letter, the actuation block is realized through an assistive robotic platform that can gather coordinates of food from sensor nodes, navigate to them to manipulate the goods, and actuate actions to improve their preservation conditions (increasing the perspective SL). The actuation block is also responsible for notifying the user of the bad storage conditions. The system has been experimentally tested in a laboratory environment. The whole mitigation chain successfully completed all the operations through the robotic platform in 60% of cases. Moreover, comparing food left in poor storage conditions and the same food managed by the our proposed system, an improvement of the food expiration date of ∼55% (on average) has been recorded.

Household fermentation of leftover bread to nutritious food

Resource dependency of food production is aggravated when food is wasted. In Sweden, it is estimated that 37% of the total bread waste is generated at the household level. This work aimed to assess whether fermentation using edible filamentous fungi at households can provide a solution to valorize leftover bread in the production of fungi-based food for consumption. Bread was fermented in household and laboratory conditions with Neurospora intermedia and Rhizopus oligosporus. The results show that bread can be successfully and easily fermented at households, without signs of microbial contamination even though the conditions were not sterile. Fermentation at the household resulted in higher protein, fat and fiber content as well as greater starch reduction compared to the samples fermented under laboratory conditions. Household engagement in bread fermentation will likely depend on values that motivate reusing leftover bread. Perceived values that are expected to motivate engagement vary across individuals, but may include improved nutritional benefits, food waste prevention, convenience, responsibilities, and being part of sustainable societies and actions.

P003 Feasibility of Using MMCA Strategies to Promote Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Selection and Prevent Food Waste in Food Pantries

P003 Feasibility of Using MMCA Strategies to Promote Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Selection and Prevent Food Waste in Food Pantries

Household food waste prevention behavior: the role of religious orientations, emotional intelligence, and spiritual well-being

Household food waste contributes extensively to environmental degradation, and it accounts for half of the food wasted around the globe. This study investigates the effect of religious orientations (intrinsic and extrinsic) on household food waste prevention behavior, considering the mediating role of emotional intelligence and spiritual well-being. A questionnaire was distributed to evaluate the research variables targeting women (n = 475). Structural equation modeling has been adopted to analyze the data. Findings demonstrate that intrinsic religious orientation positively impacts household food waste prevention behavior, whereas extrinsic religious orientation negatively impacts it. Moreover, emotional intelligence and spiritual well-being play a mediating role through the effect of intrinsic religious orientation on household food waste prevention behavior. This study indicates that intrinsic and extrinsic religious orientations have opposite effects on household food waste prevention behavior. Also, emotional intelligence and spiritual well-being highlight the need for different strategies to encourage food waste reduction behavior specific to an individual’s religious orientation.

Government Policy and Practices to Support Malaysian Food Donors in Redistribution of Surplus Food. Are there sufficient?

Food waste has been described as a global problem with numerous root causes (Minor et al., 2019; Narvanen et al., 2020; Niina et al., 2022; Weber and Khademian, 2008). Food waste has reached alarming proportions, with approximately one-third of all food produced going to waste (FAO, 2014; Gustavsson et al., 2011). Food waste accounts for 20% of all food produced in the European Union(EU), costing 143 billion EUR annum (Stenmarck et al., 2016). A study was done by Future Directions International (FDI) in 2016 found that 25% of the globe's food waste happens in South and Southeast Asia. Food waste prevention at the source must be the main priority. Still, the EU's food waste hierarchy puts redistribution of surplus food for human consumption as the second-best option when food waste cannot be avoided (European Commission, 2020). Some Southeast Asia countries managed 64% of avoidable food waste by redistributing it to those in need (Tech Collective, 2019). Most food waste is managed via lower-priority methods, including composting, incineration, or landfill (European Comission, 2020; Eurostat, 2020; Obersteiner et al., 2021). Redistribution of surplus food or food donation to a marginalised community can be advantageous. Aside from the environmental, economic and social benefits, using the food for its intended purpose preserves its energy and nutrient content. Furthermore, surplus food redistribution is increasingly recognised to address food insecurity and food waste (Schneider, 2013). In Malaysia, the government is concerned with redistributing surplus food operated by a food bank or charity organisation via donations from the food retail industry (Hamik et al., 2021). Keywords: Redistribution, Surplus Food, Food Donor, Government Policy and Practices

An Extensive Analysis of Understanding Consumer Intention towards Reduction of Food Waste

Purpose: People's purchasing and consumption patterns have been substantially influenced by different behaviours. The widespread concern about reducing food waste has resulted in the need for environmental concern. Consumer food purchases differ from each other when consuming in dine-in outlets where different factors can result in food trash leading to a serious threat in restaurants. Food waste has a significant impact on businesses across the country; this study will indicate by understanding the consumers' behavioural patterns whether or not the problem of food waste can be improved. This research helps to know the changes in consumers' intention consumption behaviours regarding food waste in dining outlets to avoid and reduce it. Design/Methodology: This research is based on secondary sources acquired from extensive literature, case studies, journal articles, and internet searches. Findings: According to the findings, society is becoming alert to the food waste problem and are taking proactive actions to prevent food waste in their households as well. The influence of the pandemic in 2020 has also served as a warning in every outlet regarding the environmental effects of food waste and pollution. This has enabled people to collaborate from the comfort of their own homes, and they are more cautious about purchasing food anywhere they go to dine and have a strong notion to reduce waste on their part. Because of the pandemic, the community's broad waste patterns have slowed, protecting the environment in the process and has given hope for sustainability. Research limitations/implications: Restaurant food waste is India's growing problem. In addition to this, people are suffering a crisis due to the pandemic, which has resulted in food scarcity which is also leading to hunger. Because waste is one of the country's existing challenges due to its vast population, inefficient waste management methods must be fixed to minimize the possible risk of food waste contamination in households and food businesses. Originality/value: There is a high demand in India for an efficient strategy to prevent future contamination of food waste by any further upcoming situation. With the rising population and urbanization, individuals have to change themselves to a more efficient in handling the situation by understanding the problem of waste that will help themselves and the environment to the greatest. This research intends to address the challenges of food waste generated by restaurants by consumers, as well as potential methods and backup plans for overcoming the food waste disaster with long-term solutions. Paper Type: Review Paper

Religious values and family upbringing as antecedents of food waste avoidance

Consumer intention to avoid food waste is determined by various socio-demographic and psychographic/psychological factors. While many of these factors have been well studied, some remain under-researched. This is the case for religious values and family upbringing that may represent strong antecedents of personal norms towards food waste avoidance. This study tests the role of these factors on a sample (n = 566) of consumers in Poland, a society with strong religious traditions and family ties. The results indicate that religious values play an important role in family upbringing which, by influencing personal social and environmental motives, mediates the effect on personal norms to avoid food waste. This suggests that religious leaders should be engaged in the design of food waste prevention campaigns specifically targeting parents. This is to trigger a cross-generational spillover effect whereby family morals on food waste avoidance are transferred from parents to children and reinforced by religious values.

Compositional Analysis of Street Market Food Waste in Brazil

Current understanding of food waste quantities in the Brazilian retail sector is limited. In order to develop efficient measures for food waste prevention and valorisation, reliable data on waste generation and composition are necessary. In this study, a compositional analysis of street market waste was conducted in São Paulo, Brazil. In total, 4.1 tonnes of waste were sorted into 27 waste fractions, categorised using a three-level approach. The average waste generation in the studied street markets was 23.7 kg per stall, of which 12.8 kg was classified as unavoidable food waste, 3.6 kg as packaging waste, and 7.4 kg as avoidable waste. The results show large amounts of unavoidable food waste, comprised of coconut, sugarcane bagasse, and peels. A large share of the avoidable food waste is comprised of single leaves, tomatoes, oranges, and bananas. Large variations were observed among the street markets analysed, both in terms of the food waste generation rate, and composition. The results from scaling up the data at the city level indicated a total wastage of 59,300 tonnes per year, of which 18,400 tonnes are classified as avoidable food waste.

Chemical, technological and sensory quality of pasta and bakery products made with biomass and green banana flour

SummaryBanana is a highly nutritive food, low cost, easy to find and can be fully consumed. In its green maturation, the nutritive value is also interesting. This paper aimed to investigate studies that elaborated pasta and bakery products using biomass and green banana flour, and evaluate chemical, technology and sensory quality, besides whether these products could be considered gluten‐free alternatives. Among the included studies, cakes (35%), bread (25%) and pasta (20%) were the most studied products. In general, they succeeded in evaluating chemical, technological and sensory parameters. In terms of technological quality, breads were considered the most challenging foods to be prepared with green banana derivatives, possibly due to the lack of gluten network, extensibility, viscoelasticity, water and gas‐holding capacity. Only 45% of the papers made gluten‐free products. Green banana added to these products could be widely consumed by people, since it is a versatile alternative for many food possibilities, adding nutritional quality to the final product and helping on the prevention of food waste.