Commentary: Food and Food Waste: Spinning a Two-Sided Coin

Abstract

Research on food and food waste has been receiving growing attention, and public policy plays an important role in the food marketing system. Although marketing and public policy appears to focus largely on food rather than food waste, concern about the latter is growing due to its environmental and economic impact. Drawing on the accompanying articles, this commentary illuminates three important facets of food-related research.

Embracing Food Well-Being: Lessons from Chefs’ Caring Actions in the Fight Against Food Waste

“…Our study conceives food waste as a deficit of care that merits further research. Thus, in line with recent studies that have highlighted food waste as paramount for studying food (Mesiranta, Närvänen, and Mattila 2022) and FWB (Bolton and Reczek 2022), we argue that food waste is a relevant domain to study the manifestation of the caring actions of different stakeholders in enhancing FWB.…”

“…Finally, food policy refers to various interrelated rules and regulations that order and guide the food industry and food consumption (Block et al 2011; Bolton and Reczek 2022). Food policies can help extend the life of food that would otherwise be wasted through composting and recycling regulations (Block et al 2016; Brosius, Fernandez, and Cherrier 2013), or policies aimed at sensitizing and educating consumers against food waste (Gruber, Holweg, and Teller 2016; Thompson and Haigh 2017), such as the “Think.…”

“…Food Waste: A Threat to the Advancement of Food Well-Being Food waste is a complex phenomenon that occurs at all levels of the food supply chain (Block et al 2016;Mesiranta, Närvänen, and Mattila 2022) and is nurtured by the complex systems of production, distribution, and consumption of food. Food waste may have important implications for the development of FWB (Bolton and Reczek 2022;Scott and Vallen 2019), conceptualized as "a positive psychological, physical, emotional, and social relationship with food at both the individual and societal levels" (Block et al 2011, p. 6).…”

Into the Woods: Making a Difference via Marketing and Public Policy Research

“…Commentaries have become a staple in the Journal , and we see great value in continuing to publish papers in this format. In the pages of the past three volumes, commentaries on infodemics (Mende, Vallen, and Berry 2021), big data (Kopalle and Lehmann 2021), food waste (Bolton and Reczek 2022), social impact (Nardini et al 2022), race (Grier 2023), artificial intelligence (Du and Sen 2023), and vulnerabilities associated with homelessness (Hill 2023) have offered timely thought leadership on research topics of importance to marketing and society. We view commentaries as an excellent format to stimulate research, and we will continue to strategically publish commentaries from scholars on pressing issues.…”

We Get by with a Little Help from Our Friends: Progress Toward the Future and an Invitation to Approach Policy Questions Through Novel Perspectives

“…We note that these commentaries remain impactful and relevant today as we mark two years of living with COVID-19. We have further encouraged topics of critical relevance by dedicating special issues and sections to topics such as food waste (see Bolton and Reczek 2022), the role of pharmaceuticals in marketing and society (October 2022), using marketing-based initiatives to prevent radicalization (April 2023), and marketing as a way to end war, create peace, and enhance sustainable well-being (opening in 2023). We encourage the MPP community not only to read these contributions but also to consider submitting your own work.…”