Food waste within food supply chains: quantification and potential for change to 2050

Abstract

Food waste in the global food supply chain is reviewed in relation to the prospects for feeding a population of nine billion by 2050. Different definitions of food waste with respect to the complexities of food supply chains (FSCs)are discussed. An international literature review found a dearth of data on food waste and estimates varied widely; those for post-harvest losses of grain in developing countries might be overestimated. As much of the post-harvest loss data for developing countries was collected over 30 years ago, current global losses cannot be quantified. A significant gap exists in the understanding of the food waste implications of the rapid development of ‘BRIC’ economies. The limited data suggest that losses are much higher at the immediate post-harvest stages in developing countries and higher for perishable foods across industrialized and developing economies alike. For affluent economies, post-consumer food waste accounts for the greatest overall losses. To supplement the fragmentary picture and to gain a forward view, interviews were conducted with international FSC experts. The analyses highlighted the scale of the problem, the scope for improved system efficiencies and the challenges of affecting behavioural change to reduce post-consumer waste in affluent populations.

Global and regional health effects of future food production under climate change: a modelling study

“…Using metabolic models of weight change would have been preferable, but current estimates of food consumption and waste are too imprecise to apply such models on the global level. 10,25,32,33 Final caveats apply to the global databases used for our analysis, such as the food balance sheets produced by the FAO, which were used to calibrate the IMPACT model, and the health parameters adopted from the Global Health Observatory of the WHO, which were used in the health analysis. In producing a coherent global database, both databases have been subject to considerable adjustment.…”

“…Future food production and consumption is expected to increase, driven by population and income growth and mediated by market responses, such as changes in prices and management practices. 33,34 Relative to that, climate change leads to changes in temperature and precipitation, which is expected to reduce global crop productivity, 5,15 and via market responses, lead to changes in management intensity, cropping area, consumption, and international trade. 6 From a health perspective, changes in food availability and consumption affect dietary and weigh-related risk factors associated with an increased incidence of non-communicable diseases and mortality, such as low fruit and vegetable consumption, [16][17][18] high red meat consumption, [18][19][20] and increased body weight.…”

Managing Capabilities for Supply Chain Resilience Through it Integration

“…Firstly, the world's population is expected to reach nine billion by 2050 (Parfitt, Barthel & Macnaughton, 2010). Secondarily, the urbanization will continue at an accelerated pace, and about 70 percent of the world's population will be urban (compared to 49 percent today) (Food and Agriculture Organization, 2015).…”

Potential ecosystem services of urban agriculture: a review

“…Nevertheless, UA may have an impact on global climate through the reduction of "food miles" -the environmental impact of food related to transport. The average food crop is transported long distances (> 2000 km) from farm to consumer (Grewal and Grewal 2011), needs packaging and storage, and suffers considerable losses in the supply chain (2-33%, according to a review by Parfitt et al 2010). Reducing such losses and transport steps by producing food locally can reduce overall emissions compared to the conventional food chain.…”