The food waste hierarchy as a framework for the management of food surplus and food waste

Abstract

The unprecedented scale of food waste in global food supply chains is attracting increasing attention due to its environmental, social and economic impacts. From a climate change perspective, the food sector is thought to be the cause of 22 per cent of the global warming potential in the EU. Drawing on interviews with food waste specialists, this study construes the boundaries between food surplus and food waste, avoidable and unavoidable food waste, and between waste prevention and waste management. This study suggests that the first step towards a more sustainable resolution of the growing food waste issue is to adopt a sustainable production and consumption approach and tackle food surplus and waste throughout the global food supply chain. The authors examine the factors that give rise to food waste throughout the global food supply chain, and propose a framework to identify and prioritize the most appropriate options for the prevention and management of food waste.The proposed framework interprets and applies the waste hierarchy in the context of food waste. It considers the three dimensions of sustainability (environmental, economic, and social), offering a more holistic approach in addressing the food waste issue. Additionally, it considers the materiality and temporality of food. The food waste hierarchy posits that prevention, through minimization of food surplus and avoidable food waste, is the most attractive option. The second most attractive option involves the distribution of food surplus to groups affected by food poverty, followed by the option of converting food waste to animal feed. Although the proposed food waste hierarchy requires a fundamental re-think of the current practices and systems in place, it has the potential to deliver substantial environmental, social and economic benefits.

Application of Protection Motivation Theory to Investigate Sustainable Waste Management Behaviors

“…Here, disposal includes all disposal options that are carried out based on the notion of environmental The waste management behaviors of citizens can play an important role in solving waste management problems by minimizing the volume of solid waste and effectively eliminating waste by minimizing potential impacts on the environment [7][8][9][10][11][12]. The concept of a waste hierarchy, which is widely used to explore effective solid waste management [13][14][15], suggests three main strategies for achieving sustainable waste management: avoidance, resource recovery, and disposal [7]. Avoidance, the highest priority, refers to action to minimize the volume of waste produced by individuals, the industrial sector, and/or public and private organizations.…”

‘Nudging’ as an architect of more responsible consumer choice in food service provision: The role of restaurant menu design

“…While a large share of these carbon impacts is attributed to the organisational complexity and the operational intensity of catering enterprises, the carbon footprint also arises because of poor consumption choices and irresponsible consumer behaviour (Bohdanowicz et al 2011;Gössling et al 2011). For example, food waste generation has been negatively affecting food service provision for decades and determined the substantial share of the sector in global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (Bohdanowicz and Martinac 2007;Papargyropoulou et al 2014). While this issue is often caused by operational inefficiencies of catering business ventures, which include imperfect food preparation and storage techniques, spoilage and inadequate training of kitchen and waiting staff, it is also a product of reckless consumer choice and behaviour (Bohdanowicz et al 2011;Tuppen 2014).…”

Food acquisition through private and public social networks and its relationship with household food security among various socioeconomic statuses in South Korea

“…On the other hand, farmers and retail markets dispose of enormous amount of edible foods [40][41][42] because the shape or color of produce is imperfect or the shelf lives are too short. Therefore, making use of unsold food could be one solution to improve food security among urban LIHs and to reduce food waste.…”