Since its beginning in the early 70thies, the fast growing Atlantic salmon aquaculture industry in Norway has been and still is an object for research across numerous disciplines and research fields. This article presents an overview of the research studies applying Material Flow Analysis (MFA) based methods on Norwegian Aquaculture of Atlantic Salmon starting from 2004 until 2018. The studies were reviewed in relation to their applied method, involved institutions, flows, data acquisition, and suggestions for improvement. All of the reviewed studies applied different MFA methods suitable to the objective of each study, were done with involvement of multiple institutions and stakeholders, modeled credible data and provided specific suggestions for reducing the environmental impacts and optimizing nutrients utilization efficiency. The review concludes that MFA-based methods have the potential for having a functional role within the framework of the Norwegian Salmon Aquaculture industry's sustainable development. A key factor in fulfilling that potential would be diversifying the objectives of MFA research to be more inclusive of the three pillars of sustainability: environment, economy, and society.
The United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development set the target of halving per capita global food waste and reducing food losses, including post-harvest losses. Food loss is a significant global challenge rising from the decrease in food quantities available for human consumption because of decisions and actions taken by food manufacturers and suppliers before it even reaches the retail market. Food loss within the Norwegian farmed salmon post-harvest processing system could be reduced by making change in the system’s behavior. This study, by following systems engineering principles, aimed to develop insight into the salmon post-harvest processing system’s behavioral dynamics causing current food loss and to consider conceptual keys to solutions. This study tied the food loss problem to systemic behavior of byproducts downgrading to non-food uses as the major cause. The decisions made on the materials flow are based on product design, quality control, and environmental solutions. Making a decision to conserve byproduct materials by prioritizing keeping them within the human food chain requires supportive data on their true potential as a food source. The system’s information pool that decision makers rely on can be fortified with the system’s engineering multidisciplinary outcomes that will enable the necessary paradigm shift to achieve the quested food loss reduction.
This study proposes a conceptual framework that aims to gain insight into the integration of the sustainable development goals (SDG) within the Norwegian salmon value chain (NSVC). The proposed framework was developed by applying the systems engineering six-step method and validated through empirical findings from the NSVC. The framework’s application highlighted and analyzed the presence of the SDGs in corporate sustainability reports, academic curriculum, research, and governmental policies. This study uncovered the complexity-reduction elements within the system that drive SDG integration and assure their progress. The SDGs provide a global context for sustainability endeavors in the NSVC. A globally expanded value chain has an organic relationship with global sustainability terms and schemes. The existing practice of corporate sustainability annual reporting was found to be a significant channel for SDG communication. The novelty of this study was that it proposed a mind-map to understand SDG integration within an industrial value chain abstracted into three concepts: commitment, communication, and performance measurability.
The growing world population and the growing need for food are raising the importance of more efficient and sustainable food production systems. Food loss is a significant global challenge and a major stressor on natural resources. True assessment of food loss is a precursor to its reduction. This study aimed to assess the actual food loss in the Norwegian farmed salmon production system in the year 2019 by quantifying the protein flows and stocks in the system. Protein served as an indicator substance of the true systemic food loss. This study highlights the system’s qualitative value-adding conversion of plant protein into higher quality marine animal protein, with deposited vital trace minerals harvested from the sea and carried to the human food chain. However, it takes a lot of protein from multiple sources to produce salmon. We found that the total invested feed protein is about four times more than the harvested salmon protein, and about 40% of that harvested protein in the salmon biomass departs the human food chain by flowing to other non-food industries. The current post-harvest practices, material trade-offs, and waste management solutions could be adjusted to a context that prioritizes human food security. An alternative scenario is presented in this study, based on a hypothetical new food product in parallel to the main salmon fillet product. The alternative scenario turned 99% of the harvested protein into food and adjusted the ratio between the invested marine protein and the human food product protein. The originality of this research is in its approach to food loss assessment at the industrial level by means of a systemic macronutrient (protein) inventory.
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