Food waste management strategies

Cradle-to-grave greenhouse gas emissions within the global food systems are responsible for nearly half of all emissions. Alarmingly, a significant portion of these emissions is linked to avoidable food waste. Customer negligence and unequal technological development exacerbate this issue. While one billion people struggle to secure their next meal, one-third to half of the food from global dining tables ends up in landfills daily. This wastage, often caused by disconnects in post-farming stages and delayed logistics, results in the loss of up to one-third or even half of food commodities throughout the food supply chain. In the face of this tremendous waste, it becomes imperative to minimize its negative impacts during the food waste management stage. Regrettably, food waste management strategies face numerous challenges.

Existing food waste management has led to significant problems, including uncontrolled methane gas emissions, environmental pollution, and the proliferation of pests. These adverse consequences have prompted the development of improved food waste management strategies, particularly in recent years. These strategies include education and awareness campaigns promoting food conservation and the transition from food waste land disposal to advanced technologies such as composting and anaerobic digestion. Excitingly, some recent experiments show promise in converting food waste into useful chemicals. However, evaluating these efforts from a broader perspective, such as their impact on farmers' incomes or the profits of major food exporters, remains a subject of debate. Moreover, factors like dietary preferences, income disparities, equity, and nutritional value are often overlooked, adding complexity and uncertainty to the food waste management landscape.

This Collection aims to address the following research topics, which are crucial in shaping effective food waste management strategies:

• Tailored Food Waste Management Strategies: Explore strategies tailored to specific regions, food sectors, or food commodities. This includes policy-driven approaches, quantifying consequences, technical enhancements in the food supply chain, diverse downstream food waste treatments, and comparative assessments of treatment technologies based on life cycle analysis and cost-benefit analysis.
• Climate Change Impact: Assess the climate change impact of various food waste management strategies. This involves quantifying greenhouse gas emissions resulting from food waste across different sectors, stages, and regions of the food systems.
• Influences on Food Waste Production: Examine factors that influence food waste production and management, whether from a bottom-up or top-down perspective. This may encompass adjusted farming structures, shifts in food supply chains, government subsidies, advertising, and more.
• Resilience of Food Waste Management Strategies: Analyze the robustness and stability of food waste management strategies in the face of environmental shocks, socioeconomic dynamics, aging populations, and other critical variables.
• Data Science and Machine Learning: Investigate the role of Data Science and Machine Learning in enhancing food waste management, both locally and globally. Explore applications of these technologies to optimize food waste reduction efforts.
• Consumer Behaviour: Study consumer behaviour and its influence on food waste management. Conduct case studies using questionnaires to assess customer behaviours across various attributes such as gender, age, income, culture, and location.

By delving into these research areas, we aim to provide valuable insights and strategies for more effective and sustainable food waste management.

This Collection supports and amplifies research related to SDG 11, SDG 12, and SDG 13.