Food Waste Generation in Europe

248

136

The Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) reported that approximately one-third of all produced foods (1.3 billion tons of edible food) for human consumption is lost and wasted every year across the entire supply chain. Significant impacts of food loss and waste (FLW) have increased interest in establishing prevention programs around the world. This paper aims to provide an overview of FLW occurrence and prevention. Economic, political, cultural, and socio-demographic drivers of FLW are described, highlighting the global variation. This approach might be particularly helpful for scientists, governors, and policy makers to identify the global variation and to focus on future implications. The main focus here was to identify the cause of the FLW occurrence throughout the food supply chain. We have created a framework for FLW occurrence at each stage of the food supply chain. Several feasible solutions are provided based on the framework.

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding Food Loss and Waste—Why Are We Losing and Wasting Food?

Ishangulyyev¹,

Kim

Lee

2019

248

136

“…According to the Science and Technology Options Assessment, “food loss” means food produced for human consumption that leaves the supply chain for various reasons [10].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, in the EU-27, the largest amount of food is lost during the processing stage in Poland (over 6.5 million tons), the Netherlands, and Italy (6 million tons per year each) [13]. STOA estimates show that the share of processing in the total quantity of wasted food in Poland is 14% [10]. Food loss and waste mitigation is a critical means of addressing current and future economic, social, and environmental concerns to ensure enough food to feed the world’s growing population in a sustainable way [14].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Risk Management of Dairy Product Losses as a Tool to Improve the Environment and Food Rescue

Bilska

Kołożyn-Krajewska

2019

“Food loss”, defined as food produced for human consumption, which for various reasons leaves the supply chain, can be assigned to a group of new risks. Irrational use of food constitutes a risk to the environment. Moreover, food losses represent a missed opportunity to improve global food security. The aim of this study was to develop a risk management model for dairy product losses using the example of ripening cheese. The necessary data to develop the model were derived from a survey that was conducted in five dairies located in Poland. Total losses for nine products amounted to 1.1% of the average annual production, which accounted for more than 5635 t per annum. The studies that were conducted allowed the identification of three management methods of food loss in dairies: reprocessing, hand over for feed, and disposal. The level of risk was defined as “high” with two suggested courses of action: prevention and tolerance. Risks must be prevented by eliminating any errors that may result in a product of inadequate quality. Another solution is to redistribute or sell products at a reduced price, which despite their reduced quality, are nevertheless suitable for consumption. To some extent, this risk must be tolerated.

“…In another approach, “food loss is the amount of food that is produced for human consumption but gets out of the supply chain for different reasons. Food waste is a subset of food loss and represents the amount of food, still suitable for consumption, which is discarded as a result of human action or inaction” [ 12 ] (p. 12).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Measurement of Food Losses in a Hungarian Dairy Processing Plant

Tóth

Borbély

NAGY

et al. 2021

The phenomenon of food waste and food loss at any stage of the supply chain is significant in developed economies. The purpose of this article is to highlight the areas of milk processing where milk loss occurs, and, after quantifying the data obtained, reveal the extent of the losses. To achieve the goals, we conducted on-site visits to one of Hungary’s milk processors. The methodology is based on the Food Loss and Waste (FLW) standard, accordingly we determined the extent of milk loss at the company level, supplemented with loss values by each dairy product. During the analyzed processing stages (receiving of raw milk, skimming, pasteurization, Extended Shelf-Life (ESL) milk, cheese milk, sour cream, yoghurt, and kefir) 1203.4–1406.8 L of raw material per day can be accounted as losses, which makes up 0.9–1% of daily production. A Milk Production-Milk Losses (MPML) model was created where six factors (technology and automation, design of the plant aspects, quantity of orders, expertise of employees, number of product variants, optimal storage capacity) were methodized that significantly influence the rate of milk losses over different time periods. Our paper highlights how areas of the production stage can be developed to decrease milk loss.