Resources Management for a Resilient World: A Literature Review of Eastern European Countries with Focus on Household Behaviour and Trends Related to Food Waste

Abstract

Increasing concern about food waste and the consequences of human lifestyle on the environment have intensified attention on this topic. While waste and loss of food occur in all stages of the food chain, more than 50% of the blame relies on the consumers’ shoulders, regardless of their geographical location, age, culture, or historical roots. Ideally, wasted food (from agriculturalproduction to storage and transportation stages, down to final consumers) should return to the habitat it came from (circular economy concept), but man-made materials do not naturally decompose quickly, or they decompose in several hundreds of years, destroying untouched resources. Simply presented, reducing lost or wasted food means more food for us all in the future, more visible economic growth (especially in low-income countries), and less pressure on the environment. While these concepts are largely being investigated inWestern economies, Eastern Europe lacks a proper understanding, especially in the best relevant practices. Therefore, this systematic review highlights the need for further research on Eastern European households’ attitudes and the importance of identifying long-term trends in changing behaviour causing wastage. This can only be done properly if past experiences, societal culture, traditions, and food habits are mirrored in future predictions by considering the inherent factors influencing the decision-making process.

Determinants of Food Waste in Cluj-Napoca (Romania): A Community-Based System Dynamics Approach

“…The results consist of a comprehensive list of factors which impact the generation of food waste and the diagrams highlight the interactions between them. Although many of the causes identified during our exercises are mentioned in the literature on the topic [9,23,70], our aim was to provide an aggregated image of the main causes of food waste and the actors involved. Moreover, it highlights the specificities of the Romanian context, derived from their historical, social, political, and economic background.…”

“…However, some of the food waste combat desiderata were put on standby in the last two years due to the COVID-19 crisis. "Stayat-home" and "remote-working" strategies to prevent the spread of COVID-19 made many of us consume more than what was needed [7][8][9]. We witnessed dramatic changes in food consumption habits, due to the COVID-19 lifestyle and psychological stress, that influenced the generation of food waste along the supply chain [10,11].…”

Improved Reinforcement Learning for Preventing Consumer Food Waste in Volatile Food Markets

“…Moldoval et al [21] summarize the importance of "Reasonable Home Cooking" procedures by first distinguishing "good cooks" from "bad cooks". Good cooks plan their meals, purchase and use the perfect ingredients at the right moment in time, and offer the best possible nutrient experience.…”

Is flexibility a dual mechanism? Evidence from the Hungarian food industry

“…Research about food is increasing in relevance and importance, as the sector is confronted with numerous challenges, such as food waste, offering products to all possible consumer generations, ensuring global access to fresh food, offering local and/or regional products, etc. (Shen et al, 2021;Yakubu et al, 2022;Pocol et al, 2021;Vasylieva, 2021;Moldovan et al, 2022;Mukaila, 2022;Chirpuci et al, 2022), and as more and more contemporary companies are using sustainable business models (Stanek-Kowalczyk, 2021).…”