scholarly journals How to measure food loss and waste? A material flow analysis application

2020 ◽  
Vol 123 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-85 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vera Amicarelli ◽  
Christian Bux ◽  
Giovanni Lagioia
Keyword(s):  
Food Waste ◽  
Material Flow ◽  
Animal Feed ◽  
Flow Analysis ◽  
Material Balance ◽  
Material Flow Analysis ◽  
Potato Industry ◽  
Poultry Feed ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Food Loss

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to measure food loss and waste by material flow analysis (MFA) tool. Applying this methodology, the authors estimate wastage-related losses and discuss opportunities for more circular and sustainable practices in the Italian potato industry.Design/methodology/approachMFA is applied to two specific typologies as follows: ready-to-eat (chips) and dried potato products produced in Italy. The analysis refers to the year 2017 as the complete dataset useful for this study includes measurements until this year. A bottom-up and top-down mixed approach is applied, and functional unit refers to 1 t of potatoes consumed as final product.FindingsMFA is applied to quantify and qualify material balance associated with 1 t of potatoes consumed as final product. In Italy, in 2017, more than 22,000 t of fresh tubers were lost, including 3,500–4,800 t of starch, equivalent to 52,800–72,600 GJs. Moreover, fewer than 23,000 t of skins and scraps were produced within industrial plants, not available for food but suitable for animal feed (dry skins are an excellent carbohydrates source in cattle and poultry feed), starch industry and bioenergy production (biogas and/or bioethanol).Originality/valueThis research is one of the few studies proposing MFA methodology as a tool to measure food waste. This analysis shows its utility in terms of food waste quality/quantity evaluation, supporting both company management and policymakers.

scholarly journals Material flow analysis of alternative biorefinery systems for managing Chinese food waste

2019 ◽  
Vol 149 ◽  
pp. 197-209 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanwen Guo ◽  
Yan Zhao ◽  
Anders Damgaard ◽  
Qian Wang ◽  
Wenjing Lu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Waste ◽  
Material Flow ◽  
Flow Analysis ◽  
Material Flow Analysis ◽  
Chinese Food

Hidden flows assessment in the agri-food sector: evidence from the Italian beef system

2021 ◽  
Vol 123 (13) ◽  
pp. 384-403
Author(s):  
Vera Amicarelli ◽  
Mariantonietta Fiore ◽  
Christian Bux
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Natural Resources ◽  
Food Waste ◽  
Flow Analysis ◽  
Material Flow Analysis ◽  
Meat Industry ◽  
Energy Materials ◽  
Food Sector ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mixed Approach

PurposeThe study proposes Material Flow Analysis (MFA) methodology as a tool to measure and qualify food waste in the Italian beef supply chain in each stage of the food supply chain, from farm to fork. In particular, the authors attempt to: (1) measure resources consumption and waste generation toward companies' and policymakers' sustainable evaluations; (2) enhance consumers' education in the field of agri-food resilience and sustainability.Design/methodology/approachMFA is applied to the entire Italian sector of beef consumed as packaged fresh product in 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic. The analysis regards bovine, which represent roughly one-third of the national meat flow. To collect data, bottom-up and top-down mixed approach is applied. Subsequently, MFA results are used to calculate the wastage-related losses in terms of embedded natural resources (e.g. water, energy).FindingsIn 2020, it results that the Italian meat industry slaughtered more than 1.15 Mt of bovine to produce approximately 0.29 Mt of fresh meat, 0.69 Mt of by-products and over 0.015 Mt of food waste at households, while 0.15 Mt of beef meat is destined to catering services and food industry (out-of-boundaries). In terms of hidden natural resources, it emerged that, on average, more than 94bn m3 of water, approximately 101,000 TJ of energy and over 11,500 t of PET and PE trays are required to sustain the entire beef system.Originality/valueThis research is one of the few studies proposing MFA methodology as a tool to measure food waste and hidden associated flows in the agri-food sector. This analysis shows its utility in terms of natural resources (water, energy, materials) and waste quality/quantity evaluation, hidden flows accounting and development of new educational strategies toward food waste minimization and sustainability at household consumption.

Food loss rate in food supply chain using material flow analysis

2017 ◽  
Vol 61 ◽  
pp. 443-454 ◽  
Author(s):  
Munsol Ju ◽  
Masahiro Osako ◽  
Sachihiko Harashina
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Food Supply ◽  
Material Flow ◽  
Loss Rate ◽  
Flow Analysis ◽  
Material Flow Analysis ◽  
Food Supply Chain ◽  
Food Loss

scholarly journals Life Cycle Assessment and Material Flow Analysis: Two Under-Utilized Tools for Informing E-Waste Management

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (14) ◽  
pp. 7939
Author(s):  
Sohani Vihanga Withanage ◽  
Komal Habib
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Material Flow ◽  
Keyword Search ◽  
Technological Development ◽  
Flow Analysis ◽  
Material Flow Analysis ◽  
Civil Society Organizations ◽  
The Past ◽  
Depth Analysis

The unprecedented technological development and economic growth over the past two decades has resulted in streams of rapidly growing electronic waste (e-waste) around the world. As the potential source of secondary raw materials including precious and critical materials, e-waste has recently gained significant attention across the board, ranging from governments and industry, to academia and civil society organizations. This paper aims to provide a comprehensive review of the last decade of e-waste literature followed by an in-depth analysis of the application of material flow analysis (MFA) and life cycle assessment (LCA), i.e., two less commonly used strategic tools to guide the relevant stakeholders in efficient management of e-waste. Through a keyword search on two main online search databases, Scopus and Web of Science, 1835 peer-reviewed publications were selected and subjected to a bibliographic network analysis to identify and visualize major research themes across the selected literature. The selected 1835 studies were classified into ten different categories based on research area, such as environmental and human health impacts, recycling and recovery technologies, associated social aspects, etc. With this selected literature in mind, the review process revealed the two least explored research areas over the past decade: MFA and LCA with 33 and 31 studies, respectively. A further in-depth analysis was conducted for these two areas regarding their application to various systems with numerous scopes and different stages of e-waste life cycle. The study provides a detailed discussion regarding their applicability, and highlights challenges and opportunities for further research.

Dynamic material flow analysis of natural graphite in China for 2001-2018

2021 ◽  
Vol 173 ◽  
pp. 105732
Author(s):  
Xue Rui ◽  
Yong Geng ◽  
Xin Sun ◽  
Han Hao ◽  
Shijiang Xiao
Keyword(s):  
Material Flow ◽  
Flow Analysis ◽  
Material Flow Analysis ◽  
Natural Graphite
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