Institutional work in food waste reduction: Start-ups' role in moving towards a circular economy

In light of the significance of Food Supply Chains (FSCs) in attaining the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a greater focus on synergistic interactions between these SDGs is called for. Although there is research within this area, the impact on the interactions of responsible consumption and production for supply chains is either fragmented or inconclusive. Implementing supply chain solutions to achieve one goal could potentially support or inhibit progress in other goals; thus, before implementing such solutions, a better understanding of the interrelationships between SDGs is required. A systematic review is conducted to evidence the current nature of the understanding of these interrelationships within the food supply chain context by focusing on Responsible Consumption and Production, which refers to SDG number 12. This review is conducted through a filtering process, where 171 peer-reviewed articles addressing different SDGs were analysed and synthesized. In addition to a detailed summary of the recent literature on the SDGs and their interrelationships, as addressed in the literature, this paper establishes the limitations in the existing literature and research challenges surrounding the SDGs. This article contributes a conceptual framework that identifies stakeholder and consumer pressures as enablers of synergistic interactions between SDGs, thus directing managerial and regulatory interventions through a holistic perspective of SDGs. Finally, the review discusses contradictory findings on SDGs and provides future research avenues.

Synergistic Interactions of SDGs in Food Supply Chains: A Review of Responsible Consumption and Production

PurposeThis study extends the theory of planned behavior (TPB) through the inclusion of motivating variables for suboptimal produce preference (i.e. environmental concern, food waste awareness, and familiarity), and demotivating variables (i.e. health consciousness and risk perception) to investigate behavioral intentions toward suboptimal produce.Design/methodology/approachA quantitative research methodology using the online survey technique is employed to collect cross-cultural data from respondents from China (n = 430) and Egypt (n = 441). Structural equation modeling (SEM) via SmartPLS v.3.2.9 is used to analyze data.FindingsThe proposed extended TPB model could enhance predicting consumers' behavioral intentions toward suboptimal produce except for “environmental concern” since it has been found that environmental concern has a nonsignificant effect on consumers' attitudes and behavioral intentions toward suboptimal produce in both countries. The results also reveal that the proposed extended TPB constructs could predict 79.9% of intentions to purchase suboptimal produce and 65.3% of the variance in intentions to recommend such produce for others.Originality/valueThis study is one of the few attempts that investigates the suboptimal food consumption based on a theoretical lens by extending the TPB model. Previous studies on suboptimal food do not pay attention to the demotivating variables such as health consciousness and risk perception, and thus, this thesis represents the first effort that sheds light on such variables. Moreover, prior investigation on such issues in Egypt and China as a cross-cultural research has not existed.

Investigating consumers' behavioral intentions toward suboptimal produce: an extended theory of planned behavior – a cross-cultural study

Why is biogas production and not food donation the Swedish political priority for food waste management

The effects of actor-partner’s meal production focus on satisfaction with food related life in cohabiting couples

Purpose




The increased acknowledgement of the problems associated with food waste has triggered a number of social and commercial initiatives for the re-distribution of suboptimal foods (SOFs). This paper aims to explore a variety of such initiatives and discuss their prospects, considering the commercial contingencies of the food supply system.




Design/methodology/approach




The exploration is based on a multi-country study of cases representing three initiatives related to the reduction of waste from SOFs, i.e. social supermarkets (SSMs), food banks and expiration date-based pricing practices. The collected data comprise expert interviews, store-check observations and secondary material; the data are analyzed from a marketing practice perspective.




Findings




The analyses indicate that the distribution and re-distribution of SOFs are moving toward normalization, that the diffusion of expiration date-based pricing through all food retailing formats is likely to continue, that food banks – despite reports of dwindling supplies of SOFs – are likely to increase their expansion and that SSMs face a variety of challenges, e.g. as regards their supply of SOFs and their customers’ preferences for stable assortments.




Originality/value




By synthesizing data from various European implementations of re-distribution practices, this article contributes to the understanding of the viability of such practices. Developing this understanding should benefit social and commercial entrepreneurs, as well as policymakers, when designing and implementing initiatives for the reduction of waste from SOFs.

Jessica Ascheman-Witzel

Papers

Re-distribution and promotion practices for suboptimal foods – commercial and social initiatives for the reduction of food waste