Covid-19 Pandemic and Food Waste: An Empirical Analysis

Abstract

This paper investigates the impact of Covid-19 pandemic on food waste using an original dataset from 176 agrifood business operators in the European Union (EU). Our objective is to assess whether and why the pandemic crisis affected food waste level. Unlike previous studies that addressed the issue at a consumer level, our research focuses on pre-consumption waste covering stages of the agrifood supply chain from input suppliers to retailers. Considering the importance of waste reduction for the sustainability of food production, the study provides an insight into the ability of the agrifood supply chain to cope with a major shock and its resilience. A multinomial logit regression model is used to estimate the effect of Covid-19, testing whether the ability to innovate, the role in the supply chain, the magnitude of the shock and policy support were drivers of changes in food waste. We find that three main factors affect the change in a firm’s food-waste level during the Covid-19 pandemic: The magnitude of the disruption of the sale channel, the firms’ ability to adapt the business model to the new pandemic environment, and the adoption of public policies mitigating the lockdown effects. The first driver was associated with an increase in food waste, while the others were associated with a decrease.

Overstocked Agricultural Produce and Emergency Supply System in the COVID-19 Pandemic: Responses from China

“…After the outbreak of the COVID-19, overstocked problems were observed around the globe. According to the shock transmission theory, the consequences of a shock are borne by the least elastic [ 44 ]. In our analysis, producers reported severe overstocked problems during the pandemic.…”

“…Fundamental infrastructure and effective mechanisms of the food system always matter [ 44 ]. Except for some disruption in the short term, the food supply system in China performed remarkably well during the pandemic.…”

“…For the whole society, unreasonable lockdown measures resulted in a mismatch between supply and demand, causing efficiency loss to social welfare. This mismatch also led to massive food loss during the pandemic [ 43 , 44 ].…”

A review of the effects of COVID-19 on food waste

“…As previously stated, all phases of the food supply chain generate food waste, according to different factors. Some scholars studied the effects of the pandemic on the production of waste in all phases of the food supply chain, from production to consumption (Aldaco et al, 2020 ; Blazy et al, 2021 ; Boyacι-Gündüz et al, 2021 ; Cariappa et al, 2021 ; Di Marcantonio et al, 2021 ; Galanakis, 2020 ; Rejeb et al, 2020 ). Other scholars focused on particular stages of the supply chain (with the majority focusing on the consumption stage), or specific sectors (e.g., hospitality), reflecting on both the impact of the pandemic on food waste and future strategies to increase resilience (Filimonau, 2021 ; Strotmann et al, 2021 ).…”

“…In addition, Galanakis ( 2020 ) highlighted that the employment of such technologies to improve farming, post-harvest, storage, and transportation could ultimately reduce food waste. Di Marcantonio et al ( 2021 ) also identified the role of technological tools in influencing the generation of food waste, alongside sales channel disruptions and changes in public policy. In particular, the authors noted that technological tools that improve firms’ ability to adapt to new societal dynamics and public policies that mitigate shocks in the food supply chain (which have a negative impact on food waste) may contribute to decreasing food waste.…”