Quantifying food losses and the potential for reduction in Switzerland.
TL;DR: This paper quantifies food losses in Switzerland at the various stages of the food value chain (agricultural production, postharvest handling and trade, processing, food service industry, retail, and households), identifies hotspots and analyses the reasons for losses.
About: This article is published in Waste Management.The article was published on 2013-03-01 and is currently open access. It has received 463 citations till now. The article focuses on the topics: Food systems & Food processing.
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TL;DR: In this article, the authors map the still small but expanding academic territory of consumer food waste by systematically reviewing empirical studies on food waste practices as well as distilling factors that foster and impede the generation of food waste on the household level.
750 citations
Cites background from "Quantifying food losses and the pot..."
...In response, there is a mounting evidence base on the quantities of food wasted and the related emissions along the food production-consumption chain (e.g. Beretta et al., 2013; Edjabou et al., 2016)....
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TL;DR: In this article, the authors explored the drivers of residential, institutional, and commercial food waste generation in developed countries, particularly in the U.S., and examined the impacts of food system modernization on food waste, including impacts related to food system industrialization, urbanization, globalization, and economic growth.
Abstract: There has been growing interest in establishing food waste prevention and recovery programs throughout the world. The drive to target food waste stems from increasing concerns about resource conservation, food security, food waste's environmental and economic costs, and a general trend in the waste management industry to transition to more sustainable practices. Here the drivers of residential, institutional, and commercial food waste generation in developed countries, particularly in the U.S., are explored. The impacts of food system modernization on food waste generation are examined, including impacts related to food system industrialization, urbanization, globalization, and economic growth. Socio-demographic, cultural, political, and economic drivers of food waste are described with emphasis on how food waste perspectives may vary globally. Specific behaviors and attitudes which result from many of these waste drivers are then discussed. The examination of the range of food wastage drivers are used to provide insight into the best policy approaches to sustainably manage food waste. Food waste prevention policies are placed in context of the waste generating behaviors and attitudes that they address. A review of important background information on food waste is also provided, including definitions of key terms, food waste history, quantities of food waste generated, and the importance of food waste prevention for sustainability, as this information is all critical for effective policy development.
572 citations
Cites background from "Quantifying food losses and the pot..."
...…Global FAO food supply data and loss factors from Gustavsson et al. (2011) √ √ WRAP (2013) 4.2 million tonnes/year U.K. Food diary, composition analysis, and local data √c Beretta et al. (2013) 48% of total calories Switzerland Mass and energy flow model √ √ USEPA (2014) 34.69 million…...
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TL;DR: In this article, the authors conducted a large mail survey in Switzerland to investigate which determinants explain the self-reported amount of food waste in households, taking into account personal norms, knowledge, household planning habits and the good provider identity.
478 citations
TL;DR: It is found that most existing publications on FLW quantification are conducted for a few industrialized countries, and over half of them are based only on secondary data, which signals high uncertainties in the existing global FLW database.
Abstract: Food losses and food waste (FLW) have become a global concern in recent years and emerge as a priority in the global and national political agenda (e.g., with Target 12.3 in the new United Nations Sustainable Development Goals). A good understanding of the availability and quality of global FLW data is a prerequisite for tracking progress on reduction targets, analyzing environmental impacts, and exploring mitigation strategies for FLW. There has been a growing body of literature on FLW quantification in the past years; however, significant challenges remain, such as data inconsistency and a narrow temporal, geographical, and food supply chain coverage. In this paper, we examined 202 publications which reported FLW data for 84 countries and 52 individual years from 1933 to 2014. We found that most existing publications are conducted for a few industrialized countries (e.g., the United Kingdom and the United States), and over half of them are based only on secondary data, which signals high uncertainties i...
402 citations
TL;DR: Active, intelligent, and green packaging technologies can work synergistically to yield a multipurpose food-packaging system with no negative interactions between components, and this aim can be seen as the ultimate future goal for food packaging technology.
Abstract: Innovations in food packaging systems will help meet the evolving needs of the market, such as consumer preference for "healthy" and high-quality food products and reduction of the negative environmental impacts of food packaging. Emerging concepts of active and intelligent packaging technologies provide numerous innovative solutions for prolonging shelf-life and improving the quality and safety of food products. There are also new approaches to improving the passive characteristics of food packaging, such as mechanical strength, barrier performance, and thermal stability. The development of sustainable or green packaging has the potential to reduce the environmental impacts of food packaging through the use of edible or biodegradable materials, plant extracts, and nanomaterials. Active, intelligent, and green packaging technologies can work synergistically to yield a multipurpose food-packaging system with no negative interactions between components, and this aim can be seen as the ultimate future goal for food packaging technology. This article reviews the principles of food packaging and recent developments in different types of food packaging technologies. Global patents and future research trends are also discussed.
365 citations
References
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Book•
01 Jan 2011
TL;DR: The Swedish Institute for Food and Biotechnology (SIK) as mentioned in this paper conducted two studies on global food losses, one for high/medium-income countries and one for low income countries, to serve as a basis for the international congress Save Food!, 16-17 May 2011, at the international packaging industry fair Interpack2011 in Dusseldorf, Germany.
Abstract: This publication is based on studies carried out from August 2010 to January 2011 by The Swedish Institute for Food and Biotechnology (SIK) on request from the FAO. The two studies on global food losses (one for high/medium-income countries and one for low income countries) have been carried out to serve as a basis for the international congress Save Food!, 16-17 May 2011, at the international packaging industry fair Interpack2011 in Dusseldorf, Germany.
The study highlights the losses occurring along the entire food chain, and makes assessments of their magnitude. Further, it identifies causes of food losses and possible ways of preventing them. The results suggest that roughly one-third of food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted globally, which amounts to about 1.3 billion tons per year. This inevitably also means that huge amounts of the resources used in food production are used in vain, and that the greenhouse gas emissions caused by production of food that gets lost or wasted are also emissions in vain.
2,628 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors assess a variety of scenarios for adoption of organic farming, localised food systems and sustainable transport to indicate the substantial potential to reduce environmental costs in the UK food system.
503 citations
01 Jan 2011
TL;DR: The UK Government Chief Scientist takes stock of the enormous challenges facing governments and citizens in balancing the competing pressures and demands on the global food system, not least in providing an adequate and sustainable nutrition for a rapidly-expanding population against the background of climate change.
Abstract: The UK Government Chief Scientist takes stock of the enormous challenges facing governments and citizens in balancing the competing pressures and demands on the global food system, not least in providing an adequate and sustainable nutrition for a rapidly-expanding population against the background of climate change. There are grounds for optimism in scientific and technical innovation, and in a growing consensus that global poverty is unacceptable and has to be ended. But the decisions ahead are difficult, and bold action is required to achieve the sustainable and fair food system the world so desperately needs.
448 citations
Book•
01 Jul 2009
TL;DR: Stuart's "Waste" as mentioned in this paper investigates how the way we live now has created a global food crisis and what we can do to fix it, and how to make the most of what we have.
Abstract: Combining frontline investigation with startling new data, Tristram Stuart's "Waste" shows how the way we live now has created a global food crisis - and what we can do to fix it. With shortages, volatile prices and nearly one billion people hungry, the world has a food problem - or thinks it does. Yet farmers, manufacturers, supermarkets and consumers in North America and Europe discard up to half of their food - enough to feed all the world's hungry at least three times over. Forests are destroyed and nearly one tenth of the West's greenhouse gas emissions are released growing food that will never be eaten. While affluent nations throw away food through neglect, in the developing world crops rot because farmers lack the means to process, store and transport them to market. But there could be surprisingly painless remedies for what has become one of the world's most pressing environmental and social problems. Travelling from Yorkshire to China, from Pakistan to Japan, and introducing us to foraging pigs, potato farmers, freegans and food industry directors, Stuart encounters grotesque examples of profligacy, but also inspiring innovations and ways of making the most of what we have. "Tristram Stuart lifts the lid on the obscene levels of produce ending up in landfill ...read it and weep". ("The Sun"). "Passionate, closely argued and guaranteed to make the most manic consumer peer guiltily into the recesses of their fridge". ("Sunday Telegraph"). "An extremely thought-provoking, passionate study". ("Scotland on Sunday"). Tristram Stuart has been a freelance writer for Indian newspapers, a project manager in Kosovo and a prominent critic of the food industry. He has made regular contributions to television documentaries, radio and newspaper debates on the social and environmental aspects of food. His first book, "The Bloodless Revolution", was published in 2006.
432 citations
01 Jan 2008
TL;DR: In this article, the authors discuss the current problems of food demand and water scarcity and outline some possible solutions to these issues and recommend a range of actions to support farmers, especially small farmers, to curb losses of water and food and to facilitate that their produce meets the growing demands for food through: improved seeds, harvesting technologies and storage and innovative ways to capture and beneficially use the rain water to lessen stresses on rivers and groundwater improve food processing and supply.
Abstract: Agriculture is the largest human use of water. Clearly, agricultural practices need to be targeted to reduce wastage of water. This has been the centre of attention for water saving practices for some years. But there are additional ways to save water. Food consumers and businesses have a key role. This paper discusses the current problems of food demand and water scarcity and outlines some possible solutions to these issues. The amount of food produced on farmers fields is much more than is necessary for a healthy, productive and active life for the global population. Losses and wastage may be in the order of 50 percent between field and fork. Inefficient harvesting, transport, storage and packaging make a considerable dent in the potential availability of food. The situation now is characterised by rapidly increasing prices on food with dramatic repercussions for the poor, rates of inflation and, generally, for the stability of society. The authors recommend a range of actions. These include: support to farmers - actions are needed to support farmers, especially small farmers, to curb losses of water and food and to facilitate that their produce meets the growing demands for food through: improved seeds, harvesting technologies and storage and innovative ways to capture and beneficially use the rain water to lessen stresses on rivers and groundwater improve food processing and supply - the business community should take action to minimize water wastage through reducing food wastage in their processing and transport by: benchmarking standards to indicate water use; taking action to minimize wastage in their processing and transport systems; and raising publicity about their water use sensitise consumers - raise awareness amongst consumers about the water implications of their diets, overeating and food wastage through incentives, practical guidance and well designed campaigns disseminate basic data and information there is a lack factual information about different types, size and implications of losses and wastage of food. An important step is therefore to improve knowledge.
395 citations