Problem Of Food Waste Research Articles

Consumers’ Intention toward Mitigation of Plate Waste Behaviour in Restaurants – Development of Conceptual Model

Purpose: There have been growing concerns over food security and the problems of food waste on the environment, including resource depletion and greenhouse gas emissions for many years. Although food waste can happen at any point in the food supply chain, the factors that influence consumer intention has been identified as the main contributors to food waste generation. The main purpose of the research is to develop a conceptual model for the study and to investigate the factors that influence consumers' intentions toward reducing food waste behaviour in restaurants based on recognized consumer behaviour theories and an extensive literature review. Design: This research work is based on secondary sources which are collected from academic journals, newspapers, case studies, and internet searches. Postulates and the influencing variables to consumers' intention to mitigate food waste in restaurants are developed using the focus group interaction. Findings: The study explores the postulates affecting consumers' intention to reduce food waste in restaurants by extensively reviewing empirical theories. Through the development of a conceptual model evaluation, the factors associated with the study were awareness, food quality, environmental concern, attitude, and subjective norms system, which impact consumers' behavioural intention toward food waste mitigation in restaurants. Originality: As the conceptual model was being developed, the research study identifies several postulates with the assistance of several models and theories related to consumer behavioural intention and discusses several factors that influence consumer intention in mitigating food waste in restaurants. Paper Type: Review of literature for the development of the conceptual framework.

Is There a Food Waste Kuznets Curve? Some Evidence from China, Romania and Switzerland

The environmental Kuznets curve is defined as the proposition that pollution increases in the early stages of economic development and decreases in advanced economies. It could be verified for many environmental parameters and is based on concepts that make it likely that it could also be applied to the occurrence of food waste in households. Within the frame of a comparative case study, a standardised survey on actual food waste behaviour in 1,510 Chinese, Romanian and Swiss households explore whether rich countries reduce their per capita food waste as compared to middle-income countries. Young people throw away more food than older ones, particularly in Switzerland, which appears to be in contradiction to the Kuznets curve. However, it can be shown that Romanian and Chinese consumers declare more food waste than consumers in Switzerland and that the differences between the countries can be explained by differences in attitudes and behaviour. This is an indicator that the concept of the Kuznets curve can be applied to the problem of food waste.

Biopreservation and Bioactivation Juice from Waste Broccoli with Lactiplantibacillus plantarum.

The content of polyphenols, lactic acid, and antioxidant properties in fermented juice increases more at 30 °C than at 35 °C during the lactic fermentation process in butanol extract and broccoli juice. The concentration of polyphenols is expressed by phenolic acid equivalents as gallic acid-Total Phenolic Content (TPC), ferulic acid (CFA), p-cumaric acid (CPA), sinapic acid (CSA), and caffeic acid (CCA). The polyphenols present in fermented juice exhibit antioxidant properties and the ability to reduce free radicals using total antioxidant capacity (TAC) assay, while also the percentage of the DPPH (2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) radical and ABTS (2,2'-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) cation radical scavenging activity. Lactic acid concentration (LAC), total flavonoid content as quercetin equivalents (QC), and acidity increases during the work of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum (previously Lactobacillus plantarum) in broccoli juice. The pH was monitored during the process of fermentation in both temperatures (30 °C and 35 °C). Densitometric measurements of lactic bacteria (LAB) showed increasing concentration at 30 °C and 35 °C after 100 h (~4 h), but the value concentration dropped after 196 h. The Gram staining showed only Gram-positive bacilli Lactobacillus plantarum ATCC 8014. The Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrum for the fermented juice showed the characteristic carbon-nitrogen vibrations that may originate from glucosinolates or isothiocyanates. Among the fermentation gases, more CO2 was released from fermenters at 35 °C than at 30 °C. The biopreservation used Lactiplantibacillus plantarum to prevent the problem of food waste of plant origin. The probiotic bacteria used in fermentation have a very beneficial effect on health and the human body.

Analysis of wastage mechanisms in the supply chain of fish products in a circular economy perspective: Empirical research

The problem of food waste at the post-consumption phase, as well as its rational management, is one of the central matters of the transition process undertaken by the European Union, and it is one of the priorities in the Action Plan for a Circular Economy. In particular, the waste of fish products occurs throughout its supply chain. A wide literature is provided in analyzing waste on the first part of the fishing supply chain while high importance is also given to its consumption phase, especially regarding dynamics, causes and social behaviors. The paper aims at investigating mechanisms and causes of wastage that occurs in the last part of the supply chain, at a local level in Italy, by focusing the analysis at the final stage of fish consumption, produced by Italian households. Among the causes, the change in consumption habits and attitudes is also influenced by the restrictions of the healthy regulations adopted for the pandemic. Specifically, a survey was conducted to investigate what actions, habits and behaviors contribute to producing fish food waste. Causes of waste have been discussed by framing them under two dimensions of final consumption, home consumption and out-of-home consumption. Findings carried out from the research suggest knowledge of channels of distribution and integrative elements to manage the leftover food as well as the intensity of fish consumption are basilar to understand the wastage mechanism in a circular perspective. This study is an assessment of whether factors identified as causes, may increase, or decrease the waste. The importance of realizing explorative studies at the consumption phase under the approach of considering fish waste, not only as a fraction into the food waste but even a distinct part as a whole, is also given by the need to create specific strategies for sustainable production and consumption. A reflection is conducted as to how this study can be the basis for future studies on other food products related to the challenge of the rational management of food waste studies in a circular perspective.

Clean Technology and Food Waste Reduction in On-Site Foodservice Management Companies

On-site foodservice management companies serve many people and have been dealing with severe food waste problems. Thus, many companies adopted clean technology to reduce food waste. This study aims to provide a meaningful understanding of the role of clean technology in food waste reduction goal setting and achievement in these companies. Through 16 expert interviews, this study found that clean technology adoption can make organizational food waste reduction goals more specific by its ability to measure and quantify: specified goals lower psychological distance (temporal, hypothetical, social). When objectives are understood at a concrete (vs. abstract) level, management can better develop detailed action plans and motivate employees to be part of them. However, employees may fear that clean technology can be used as a penalizing mechanism. Therefore, inner-organizational collaboration is critical to achieving sustainability goals and offsetting the double-sided nature of clean technology.

Circular economy and food waste problems in Indonesia: Lessons from the policies of leading Countries

Circular economy and food waste problems in Indonesia: Lessons from the policies of leading Countries

Mobile apps against food waste: Are consumers willing to use them? A survey research on Italian consumers

This paper is aimed at analyzing the consumers’ willingness to use mobile apps that claim to contribute to mitigating the food waste problem. We study the extent to which such willingness is influenced by three factors related to the consumers’ willingness to use mobile apps in general (perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and perceived risks) and three factors related to the consumer behavior against food waste (food neophobia, moral attitude, and knowledge about food conservation). A survey was conducted on 283 Italian consumers. Results show that perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use positively affect the willingness to use mobile apps against food waste, while perceived risks by potential users negatively impact such willingness. However, none of the three consumer-related factors has been proved to be significant. The results of this paper offer managerial implications to developers, related to how to advertise the app and how to improve the app functionality, in order to enhance the consumers’ willingness to use.

Consumer Intention to Utilize an E-Commerce Platform for Imperfect Vegetables Based on Health-Consciousness

Thailand has a problem with fruit and vegetable waste because consumers have a negative attitude towards fruit and vegetables with imperfect shapes; however, those imperfections have no impact on nutritional quality. Young adults are most aware of the problem of food waste. Here, we study factors influencing consumer' intention to adopt an e-commerce platform that commercializes imperfect vegetables (ugly veggies). In all, 390 respondents from four provinces of Thailand were enrolled in the study. Cluster analysis, structural equation modeling, and multigroup moderation analysis approaches were used. The main conceptual framework was adapted from the unified theory of acceptance and the use of technology. Respondents were classified into low, moderate, and high health-conscious segments. We found that performance expectancy positively influences the behavioral intention of highly health-conscious consumers. For consumers in the moderate health-consciousness segment, effort expectancy and social influence positively affect behavioral intention. None of the hypothesized factors influence the low health-consciousness segment's behavioral intention. This paper expands the understanding of consumer' attitudes toward accepting an imperfect vegetable e-commerce platform. Additionally, the research can guide platform development and marketing efforts.

Exploring the Global Scientific Literature on Food Waste and Loss

The growing global population and modern dietary patterns are the main drivers of current unsustainable food systems, with one of the most serious consequences being the growing issue of food waste and loss (FWL). FWL is a global problem since one-third of the global food produced for human consumption is wasted or lost yearly. FWL occurs throughout the food supply chain. In this study, the scientific literature on FWL was explored. Social network analysis and bibliometrics were integrated to explore the issue of food waste in relation to environmental impact and food security. The generated network maps displayed the relationships among keywords, authors, and countries dealing with the issue of food waste, highlighting the exponential growth of the studies focusing on food waste since 2010. The results allowed for the understanding of the evolution of food waste scientific research, identifying the most important topics and research paths. In addition, the results also showed a clear research shift from an older approach to food waste, based on the downstream notion of waste, to a more modern approach, based on sustainability, food security, consumer behavior, and the circular economy, addressing the problem of food waste by preventing it with upstream actions and policies. Considering the remarkable ethical, environmental, social, and economic implications of FWL, the outcomes of this study display the need for developing interdisciplinary approaches and methodologies capable of providing a comprehensive understanding of the FWL issue.

Canteen Food Waste Reduction Strategies Using the Life Cycle Assessment Method

Food waste is a global issue which is currently the center of attention of the world community. Starting from developing countries to developed countries trying to solve the problem of food waste that occurs in the country. As is well known, the amount of food waste or food waste is increasing every day, both from industry and households or restaurants, in Sidoarjo alone can produce as much as 2,400 tons of waste per day with 116 TPSTs, which can only manage 600 tons of waste per day. well managed. Part of the waste consists of leftover food and vegetables from restaurant and industrial including wastefood waste ,from a company canteen. For large companies with thousands of employees, food scraps will definitely pile up every day. Therefore, this study aims to find a strategy to reduce food waste in the company canteen. In order to produce output that is in line with expectations, it must be used an appropriate method. The method used in this research is the LCA (Method life Cycle Assessment)which can help to solve problems, find the cause and effect of the main problem widely. LCA is a method used to analyze potential environmental impacts arising from an activity, by reducing the use of raw materials and transportation, implementing pollution control, reducing environmental emissions and utilizing waste. In this research, the result is Waste percentage is the percent of product loss caused in cooking, trimming, portioning or cleaning. With the normal limit of the waste percentage generated by a restaurant or canteen is 37-41%, PT. ECCO is still on the normal threshold with a percentage of 39%.

Problem of food waste based on a survey among young citizens in Poznań at household level

Food waste has a negative impact on people around the world, affecting the economy, environment, and society. Recognized as an international problem, much effort has been taken to identify goals and potential measures to reduce waste at every stage of the supply chain, both domestically and globally. This paper presents the results of a survey conducted among young adult residents (aged 18–25) of Poznań, a city with a population of over 500,000, with the aim of identifying the reasons for food waste by consumers, exploring methods to reduce it, and determining the level of public awareness of the issue and its consequences at household-level. The study found that consumers have difficulty purchasing adequate amounts of food and tend to prepare excessively large portions. The results provide valuable information for local governments, municipal authorities, companies, shops, schools, and other institutions that can use it to organize educational and informational campaigns targeted at consumers.

Food Waste: The Good, the Bad, and (Maybe) the Ugly

Approximately one-third of the food produced globally—close to 1 billion tons—ends up as waste, and, at the same time, more than 800 million people are undernourished, which makes Sustainable Development Goal 12.3, to halve food waste by 2020, rather ambitious if not illusory. In the present study, data on food waste in households, the food service sector, and the retail sector are used as indicators for 78 countries that are analyzed by applying a partial order methodology—allowing all indicators to be taken into account simultaneously—to disclose the “good” (below average) and the “bad” (above average) among the countries on an average scale. Countries such as Belgium, Japan, and Slovenia should be labeled as “good” in this context, whereas the “bad” includes countries such as Nigeria, Rwanda, and Tanzania, countries that must cope simultaneously with severe malnutrition and hunger. This study further includes a search for so-called peculiar countries. Here, the USA and Ireland pop up, as they have very high amounts of waste in their food service sectors due to their eating profiles. Finally, the possible influence of assigning a higher weight to household waste is discussed. The overall objective of this study is to contribute to the necessary decisions that need to be made in order to fight the food waste problem and, thus, fulfill Sustainable Development Goal No. 2—zero hunger. As the world produces enough food for everyone, it is unacceptable that more than 800 million people are undernourished and that 14 million children suffer from stunting; perhaps all countries call for the label “ugly”. The present study contributes to highlighting the food waste problem and suggests specific action points for the studied countries.

Attitudes and Behaviours of Young Consumers towards Wasting Food: Case Study Based on Polish Students

Civilisation changes affect the attitudes and behaviour of consumers related to food waste. Most food is wasted by households. The purpose of this study was to assess the behaviour and attitudes of Polish students related to food waste and to determine the amount and type of food waste, as well as to indicate the causes of this problem. The analysis of attitudes and behaviours of individual groups of society directs actions to be taken in order to reduce food waste. For 14 days, a questionnaire was completed by Polish students from two universities. It concerned the frequency of throwing away food products and the type and amount of wasted products, as well as the reasons for throwing food away and the ways of counteracting this situation. Descriptive statistics, a Pareto–Lorenz analysis and a cluster analysis were used to analyse the obtained data. In this study, the level of food waste by Polish students was determined, and the study group was segmented into three clusters. The three clusters defining the attitudes of Polish students were (1) “aware students”, (2) “disengaged students” and (3) “aware but disengaged”. The largest number of respondents were classified into cluster 2. Polish students are aware of the problems of food waste, but do not contribute to reducing it. In most cases, students’ behaviour was not differentiated by socio-demographic characteristics.

Chemical Composition, Physicochemical and Bioactive Properties of Avocado (Persea americana) Seed and Its Potential Use in Functional Food Design

The appropriate use of avocado seed waste after industrial processing could reduce the problem of overconsumption and food waste in accordance with the “zero waste” concept. The presented study evaluates the physicochemical and bioactive properties of avocado seed and its possible use in functional food design, for example, cereal snacks in the form of cookies. The profile of polyphenol and lutein content was determined by chromatographic methodology, and the phenolic compounds content and antioxidant properties of the avocado seed powder were determined using spectrophotometric methods. The chemical composition (content of protein, carbohydrates, fiber, fat) and physicochemical properties, i.e., water activity, water holding capacity, and solubility in water of avocado seed powder, were examined. According to the fiber content (21.6 g/100 g) and bioactive compounds present in the avocado seed powder (content of phenolic 62.1 mg GAE/1 g, antioxidant potential (122.4 mmol Trolox/100 g), and low solubility in water (16.2%), it could be considered a valuable additive to cereal snacks. Our designed cereal products with various amounts of added avocado seed powder (6%, 12%, and 18%) showed that 6% added powder promoted an almost five-fold increase in the polyphenol content and four-fold higher antioxidant potential of the snacks compared to the control samples. In addition, the lowest level addition of avocado seed powder increased the dietary fiber content of the product to 4%; hence, they adhered to the nutrition claim of “source of fiber” in accordance with Regulation (EC) No. 1924/2006.

What are the ‘shape friendly’ locations to sell misshapen tomatoes? The effect of point of purchase on consumers’ abnormality perception and probability to buy

The present study endorses the point of purchase (POP) as a ‘decision point’for the distribution of misshapen fruits and vegetables (FVs) and a contributor to reducing food waste. We have explored the influence of POP type on consumer perceptions of tomato shape abnormality and its purchase probability, and the moderating role of the actual tomato shape abnormality level. Two online surveys questioned a total of 1021 Romanian and British consumers. The results show that consumers perceive misshapen tomatoes as ‘least misshapen’ and ‘most likely to be bought’ in fresh markets (Romania) or the organic stand of the supermarkets (UK). This study provides managerial recommendations on the selection of point of sale for misshapen fresh FVs with the aim of addressing the problem of food waste.

Data-driven decarbonisation pathways for reducing life cycle GHG emissions from food waste in the hospitality and food service sectors

The Hospitality and Food Service (HaFS) sectors are notoriously known for their contribution to the food waste problem. Hence, there is an urgent need to devise strategies to reduce food waste in the HaFS sectors and to decarbonise their operation to help fight hunger, achieve food security, improve nutrition and mitigate climate change. This study proposes three streams to decarbonise the staff cafeteria operation in an integrated resort in Macau. These include upstream optimisation to reduce unserved food waste, midstream education to raise awareness amongst staff about the impact of food choices on the climate and health, and finally downstream recognition to reduce edible plate waste using a state-of-the-art computer vision system. Technology can be an effective medium to facilitate desired behavioural change through nudging, much like how speed cameras can cause people to slow down and help save lives. The holistic and data-driven approach taken revealed great potential for organisations or institutions that offer catering services to reduce their food waste and associated carbon footprint whilst educating individuals about the intricate link between food, climate and well-being.

Fighting food losses in the US

The problem of food waste and loss is one of the most important components of the global food problem. Its relevance has been steadily growing in the last 2-3 decades, due to the huge (about 1 billion tons annually) volume of food waste and loss against the background of a number of other problems, in particular, the degradation of the main natural resources used in agricultural production, as well as the presence of a significant number of hungry and malnourished population. Along with the fact that a significant amount of food waste and loss is produced in the USA (about 100 million tons annually), the formation of a coherent system of measures to combat food losses has begun in the country. This article is the second part of the study, and is devoted to the analysis of the system of measures to reduce food loss and waste undertaken in the United States at the state level. In conclusion, some problematic issues that hinder the effective solution of the problem are also considered.

The strive to social innovation that thrives on the mobile application. A Case Study of Too Good To Go

The process of developing social innovation is the core of social entrepreneurship and requires the involvement of many actors. The ultimate outcome of social innovation is the generation of systemic or institutional change and social impact. This paper outlines how the Too Good To Go (TGTG) mobile application brings together agents of change who in a joint effort are influencing the reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by saving meals. A social innovation model extracted from the literature and adapted for publication was used to illustrate the contribution of the mobile application to the social innovation process. The study is explanatory in nature and used secondary data released by TGTG on its website and from its Impact Report 2021. Interviews with the company's founders conducted by several online magazines were also explored and some crucial details were extracted. Statistical analysis of the found data made it possible to identify and illustrate with graphical methods the involvement of actors in saving food and reducing CO2 production. The TGTG mobile application supports the reduction of the food waste problem. Its scale still remains a question.

FOOD WASTE BEHAVIOR OF ORGANIC FOOD CONSUMERS IN TURKEY

The amount of food lost or wasted is increasing in the world. While the problem of food waste is alarming, the existence of people suffering from hunger reveals the problem of the efficient allocation of food. Not only food waste is an economic problem, it is also an environmental problem. Thus, reducing food waste behaviour will be crucial in promoting sustainability and fighting against climate change. A widespread sustainable agricultural food production method is organic agriculture. The organic food demand is globally increasing with one of the main motivation, environmental concern. Organic consumers motivated to contribute to the environment and sustainability are also part of sustainable consumption. In this study, we reveal the food waste behaviour of organic food consumers. We have conducted an econometric analysis using data from 250 organic food consumers in five main districts of Istanbul. Our findings indicate that the frequency of organic food consumption negatively correlates with food waste. We see a general trend of low food waste among organic consumers, whereas their food waste behaviour varies regarding their organic food consumption frequency and product types.

Exergy, techno-economic and environment analysis of food waste plasma gasification and syngas chemical looping processes

To mitigate the problem of food waste, this study investigated two food waste treatment processes: plasma gasification hydrogen production and plasma gasification coupled with chemical looping, for converting food waste into high-quality hydrogen energy. Based on Aspen Plus software simulation results, the exergy, economic, and environmental benefits of the hydrogen production system were analyzed. Food waste hydrogen production using plasma gasification technology exhibits a high production capacity and economic input. Its hydrogen production capacity is 6.47 t/t H2 with a corresponding product cost of 2449.82 USD/t H2. The high economic input is mainly owing to the high power consumption of the plasma torches. Plasma gasification coupled with chemical looping can employ high-temperature gas to generate power, which can partially alleviate electricity consumption. In addition, in terms of thermodynamic benefits, the exergy efficiencies of plasma gasification hydrogen production and plasma gasification coupled with chemical looping are 31.44% and 54.31%, respectively. Plasma gasification coupled with chemical looping is more environmentally friendly based on the acidification and global warming potentials. The proposed novel process promotes food waste resource treatment and energy reuse.