Development of a pragmatic framework to help food and drink manufacturers select the most sustainable food waste valorisation strategy

Due to the large quantities of food waste generated by manufacturers and the associated environmental impact of these waste streams, improving food waste management is vital for achieving a more sustainable food system. Management of food waste can be complex and the most appropriate methods may not always be selected. There are a range of aspects to consider in order to select the most sustainable option to manage food waste, such as the specific type of food waste generated, waste management options available, characteristics of food companies that generate food waste, features of the waste management processors that will manage it, and the sustainability implications of dealing with the food waste. To support food waste management decision making, this paper presents a modelling procedure to assist in identifying what type and range of information is needed to model food waste management systems, allowing the user to follow a systematic methodology to make more informed decisions. This procedure is based on the identification and analysis of qualitative and quantitative attributes necessary to model food waste management and an assessment of their relationships. Specifically, it describes a process to ensure that all relevant attributes are considered during the decision-making process. A case study with a large UK food and drink manufacturer is used to demonstrate the applicability and usefulness of this procedure. In conclusion, the systematic procedure presented in this paper provides a methodology to identify opportunities to improve the sustainability of industrial food waste management. The data obtained can be used to further undertake a life-cycle assessment study and/or to apply existing socio-economic methodologies to thoroughly assess impacts and benefits of food waste management.

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Analysis of Socio-demographic Factors Influencing Households Participation in Sustainable Food Waste-management in Malaysia

The Journal of Solid Waste Technology and Management ◽

10.5276/jswtm/2021.488 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 47 (3) ◽

pp. 488-498

Author(s):

Innocent A. Jereme ◽

Chamhuri Siwar ◽

Rawshan Ara Begum ◽

Basri Abdul Talib

Keyword(s):

Waste Management ◽

Food Waste ◽

Sociodemographic Factors ◽

Management Program ◽

Primary Data ◽

Food Wastes ◽

Municipal Solid Wastes ◽

Sustainable Food ◽

Small Family Size ◽

Socio Demographic Factors

Most local authorities in Malaysia spent as much as 60-70 percent of their annual budget to dispose food waste together with other municipal solid wastes to landfills. It is time for Malaysians to start reducing food waste through sustainable method, as it is becoming an uphill task to manage food wastes generated in Malaysia. When households reduce the amount of food waste generated in a sustainable way, it could help reduce cost, and other related bills for households, and as well in running their other daily activities. The main objective of this study is to assess how sociodemographic factors of households in Selangor and Terengganu influence their behaviour towards participation in sustainable food wastes management program. The study applied purposive nonrandom sampling consisting of 333 respondents, 257 were from Selangor and 76 from Terengganu. Primary data was collected through structured questionnaire. Descriptive and logistics regression model analysis were used to analyze the data. Findings have shown 48.7 percent of Terengganu respondents spent not more than RM100 on food per week, while Selangor had 41.2 percent within the same period who spent such amount. 35.4 percent of Selangor respondents spent between RM101-200 compared to Terengganu which spent same amount at 30.3 percent within the same periods. The survey shows 43.2 percent of Selangor households disposed 1-3kg food wastes, while Terengganu on the other hand had 51.3 percent who disposed same quantities of food wastes per week. Respondents with higher education, those on government jobs, small family size and ethnicity have significant impacts on the respondents' behaviour towards participation in sustainable food waste management program. Note: US$1=RM4.09

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Exploring persuasive sales techniques to improve customer acceptance of sustainable but unfamiliar menu in restaurants

International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management ◽

10.1108/ijchm-08-2020-0924 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽

Author(s):

Chris He Cai ◽

Anni Ding ◽

Tiffany Shin Legendre

Keyword(s):

Food Waste ◽

Information Sources ◽

Social Stigma ◽

Food Sources ◽

Food Aversion ◽

Sustainable Food ◽

Content Type ◽

Customer Acceptance ◽

Unfamiliar Food ◽

Sales Strategies

Purpose Although restauranteurs hope to incorporate offal or variety meat, in the menu as an attempt to reduce food waste, adopting these ingredients is still challenging due to customer rejections. This study aims to propose potential persuasive sales strategies based on customers’ different information sources to increase organ meat-based menu sales for restaurateurs. Design/methodology/approach In this research, a qualitative study was conducted to identify critical factors that show persuasive effects from external, interpersonal and experiential information sources. A total of 20 in-depth expert interviews with professional chefs and restauranteurs were conducted and key persuasive service tactics were analyzed. Findings From their experience of persuading customers to try unusual foods, insights about how to alleviate unfamiliar food aversion were obtained. The findings of this study showed that different persuasive sales tactics can be implemented to decrease customers’ aversion to offal and offcuts on menus. Research limitations/implications The context of offal is meaningful theoretically because it sheds light on the literature gaps related to persuasive sales strategies for food products with a negative social stigma. Practically, the findings of this study explicitly address that offal usage in restaurants can not only encourage the culinary uniqueness of a restaurant but also contribute to the reduction of food waste by foodservice operations. Originality/value This research answers the calls for more research on sustainable food sources in hospitality literature by proposing offal as a potential alternative protein source. The findings of this study can further be used to improve customer acceptance of other sustainable but unfamiliar food items.

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Sustainable Food Consumption in Nursing Homes: Less Food Waste with the Right Plate Color?

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su12166525 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (16) ◽

pp. 6525

Author(s):

Kai Victor Hansen ◽

Lukasz Andrzej Derdowski

Keyword(s):

Nursing Homes ◽

Food Consumption ◽

Food Waste ◽

National Level ◽

Health Issues ◽

Sustainable Food ◽

People With Dementia ◽

Quasi Experimental ◽

Color Combinations ◽

The Right

The problem of unsustainable food consumption among vulnerable residents of nursing homes who suffer from dementia is often multifaceted. From an individual perspective, people with dementia who do not finish their meals are likely to encounter serious health issues associated with malnutrition. Moreover, at the institutional level, nursing homes generate tons of nonrecoverable food waste each year, impairing not only their economic position but also the natural and social environment at large. The purpose of this study is to explore the possibility of reducing food waste in Norwegian nursing homes by appraising how large this reduction could be as one replaces traditional dining white porcelain with plates with diverse color combinations. A quasi-experimental method was adopted. The results of the pilot study were extrapolated to the annual amount of food wasted at the national level. The findings indicate that, on average, 26% of food was thrown away when served on white plates compared to only 9% when served on one of the colored plate options tested. Nationally, approximately 992.6 tons of food per year could potentially be saved with only a single change, ultimately ameliorating the unsustainable food consumption problem among residents of nursing homes.

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SUSTAINABLE FOOD WASTE MANAGEMENT IN HOTELS: CASE STUDY LANGKAWI UNESCO GLOBAL GEOPARK

PLANNING MALAYSIA JOURNAL ◽

10.21837/pmjournal.v15.i4.317 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 15 (4) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Saraswathy Kasavan ◽

Ahmad Fariz Mohamed ◽

Sharina Abdul Halim

Keyword(s):

Waste Management ◽

Food Waste ◽

Management Practices ◽

Well Being ◽

Food Resources ◽

Tourism Industry ◽

Consumption Pattern ◽

Sustainable Food ◽

Hotel Sector ◽

Waste Management Practices

The hotel sector is one of the key players in developing tourism industry in the islands, and contributing towards islands economy, employment opportunities and the overall development. However, food waste generated by hotels has significantly impacted the environment, social well-being and tourism economy. Sustainable food waste management practices are vital among the business operations of the hotel sector to reduce food waste and operational costs through efficient use of food resources. The aim of this paper is to examine current practice of hotel operators towards sustainable food waste management from purchasing of food resources to food wastes disposal. The data was gathered using structured and self-administered questionnaires, which involved 42 hoteliers from the island of Langkawi UNESCO Global Geopark. From the main findings, it was found that there was a lack of emphasis from the hotels on their policy related to wastage of food and unsustainable food consumption pattern by their guests. This reflects on the lack of practices towards sustainable food waste management by the hotel sector. Therefore, planning for sustainable food waste management on island hotels is essential to ensure the protection of environmental resources and to reduce the problem regarding limited capacity landfills on the islands.

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Evaluating the Sustainability of Urban Food Recovery Programs: A Quantitative Assessment in Chicago

Transportation Research Record Journal of the Transportation Research Board ◽

10.1177/03611981211035763 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 036119812110357

Author(s):

Junjun Zheng ◽

Ning Ai

Keyword(s):

Food Waste ◽

Transportation Cost ◽

Program Participation ◽

Neighborhood Characteristics ◽

Participation Rates ◽

Sustainable Food ◽

Recovery Programs ◽

Transport Services ◽

Industrial Sectors ◽

Negative Impacts

This study demonstrates the critical need for strategic transportation planning for sustainable food waste management in urban regions. The majority of food waste is generated from non-industrial sectors (i.e., residential, commercial, and institutional sectors that cluster in cities), while over two-thirds of discarded food could have been edible. Food recovery programs (FRPs) can help reduce food wastage, avoid the negative impacts of landfill disposal, and mitigate food insecurities. Notably, FRPs shift long-haul waste transport services destined for a central landfill location to local, short, and time-sensitive pick-up and delivery trips, which have not been carefully studied. This study quantifies the economic efficiency (i.e., cost) and environmental impact (i.e., emissions) of urban FRP scenarios by incorporating the characteristics of surplus food pick-up options, fleet, urban built environment, and donor program participation rates. The results of an empirical study in Chicago, U.S., show that urban FRPs can be both economically efficient and environmentally beneficial, although the preferred strategy for FRPs may vary by neighborhood characteristics. With strategic planning and management, the transportation cost could be as low as $ 0.06/lb of recovered food. Meanwhile, diverting 1 ton of edible food from landfills, on average, reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 97%, or 0.51 MTCO2e. If the estimated volume of 10,000 tons of surplus food in Chicago can be fully recovered, the regional net emission reduction can reach 5,100 MTCO2e, which is equivalent to removing 1,110 vehicles from the roads. This study is anticipated to provide planning insights into initiating and scaling up city-wide FRPs.

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