Quantification of Household Food Waste in Hungary: A Replication Study Using the FUSIONS Methodology

Abstract

Household food waste accounts for the most significant part of total food waste in economically developed countries. In recent times, this issue has gained recognition in the international research community and policy making. In light of the Sustainable Development Goals of FAO, mandatory reporting on food waste has been integrated into European legislation, as a basis of preventive programs. The paper presents the results of research that aimed to quantify the food waste generated by Hungarian households. Research methodology was based on the EU compliant FUSIONS recommendations. In total, 165 households provided reliable data with detailed waste logs. Households were supported by kitchen scales, measuring glasses, and a manual. Based on the extrapolation of the week-long measurement, the average food waste was estimated to be 65.49 kg per capita annually, of which the avoidable part represented 48.81%. Within the avoidable part, meals, bakery products, fresh fruits and vegetables, and dairy products are accountable for 88% of the mass. This study was a replication of the first Hungarian household food waste measurement conducted in 2016 with the same methodology. Between the two periods, a 4% decrease was observed. The findings, for instance the dominant share of meals in food waste, should be put in focus during preventive campaigns. National level food waste measurement studies using the FUSIONS methodology should be fostered by policy makers to establish the foundations of effective governmental interventions and allow for the international benchmarking of preventive actions.

An Analysis of Food Waste in Czech Households—A Contribution to the International Reporting Effort

“…With caution, regarding international comparison, the total food waste per person per year of 57 kg is slightly lower than in the other new EU member states with similar socioeconomic and political characteristics (Hungary has 68 kg of the total food waste per person a year) also applying the kitchen diary approach. The avoidable part of Hungarian food waste is quite similar to the Czech (Czechia 33 kg, Hungary 35 kg) [ 14 ].…”

“…The Czech Republic has undergone immense changes in all spheres of life during thirty years of its overall transformation. Since there have been no other data on food wastage from other post-communistic countries until recently (just Hungary [ 14 ]), several distinct results about household food waste might be expected:…”

Households’ Food Waste Behavior at Local Scale: A Cluster Analysis after the COVID-19 Lockdown

“…In the field of food waste quanti-qualitative assessment, the EU Commission Delegated Decision 2019/1597 [30] proposed five measurement methodologies, namely (a) diaries, (b) direct measurements, (c) questionnaires, surveys and interviews, (d) mass balance approach and (e) waste composition analyses. Several authors applied questionnaires and interviews to analyze food waste behavioral tendencies in households [31][32][33], but only a few [34] investigated its trends in times of crisis (i.e., during the years of the Great Recession of 2008). Further, there are still a few examples [25,35,36] involved in research of food waste during the COVID-19 pandemic.…”

The Effect of Consumer Perception on Food Waste Behavior of Urban Households in China

“…Food waste occurs in all stages of the food supply chain and around 35% of the food loss and waste occur from the consumer side [19]. Household food waste accounts for the most significant part of total food waste in developed countries [20,21]. Globally, this part is expected to increase with growing middle classes in emerging countries [22].…”

“…For example, around 130 million kg of food waste is generated each year (23 kg per capita/year) by the household sector in Finland [17]. The annual average food waste of households is estimated to be 65.49 kg per capita in Hungary [21]. In Germany, household food waste accounts for a large share of total food waste [23].…”