scholarly journals From a Food Safety Prospective: The Role of Earthworms as Food and Feed in Assuring Food Security and in Valuing Food Waste

Insects ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 293 ◽  
Author(s):  
Doriana Eurosia Angela Tedesco ◽  
Marta Castrica ◽  
Aldo Tava ◽  
Sara Panseri ◽  
Claudia Maria Balzaretti
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Food Safety ◽  
Risk Analysis ◽  
Food Waste ◽  
Waste Reduction ◽  
Animal Nutrition ◽  
Vegetable Waste ◽  
Fruit And Vegetable ◽  
Sustainable Solutions ◽  
Reduction Efficiency

The Sustainable Development Goals are a set of global goals that provide a framework for shared action. These goals also include the reduction of food waste and the definition of sustainable solutions to achieve food security. In this context, the aim of the study was to describe all phases of a pilot earthworm rearing project started in September 2017 and concluded in December 2017, together with a risk analysis carried out in order to evaluate if earthworms can represent a safe and sustainable protein source for human consumption and/or animal nutrition. The conversion rate, that in this study is more appropriately identified as the “waste reduction efficiency,” was also calculated in order to define the extent to which earthworm rearing can contribute to the objective of reducing fruit and vegetable waste (FVW). The results showed that earthworms can bio-convert 3750 kg of FVW in three months producing 1050 kg of compost and 82 kg of fresh earthworms with minimal environmental impact showing good waste reduction efficiency. Moreover, the risk analysis conducted on earthworm rearing highlighted a microbiological hazard after the freeze-drying phase. The critical control point was therefore identified, and, in order to guarantee the total food safety of the finished product, corrective action was taken consisting in the implementation of heat treatment—sterilization at 121 °C for 20 min. The results of microbiological analyses carried out on the earthworm meal after the sterilization treatment showed that the treatment guarantees microbiological safety for the consumer and ensures a balanced approach in relation to two main topics—public health and food-borne diseases. In conclusion, earthworm meal is a concentrate of valuable nutrients useful for human and animal nutrition and can also transform fruit and vegetable waste into a resource.

scholarly journals Evolution of research related to fruit and vegetable waste in agrifood supply chains: analysing past publications seeking to identify a path to future research

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 486-505
Author(s):  
Patricia Guarnieri ◽  
Raiane Costa Coimbra Aguiar ◽  
Karim Marini Thome
Keyword(s):  
Best Practices ◽  
Supply Chains ◽  
Food Waste ◽  
Fruits And Vegetables ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Vegetable Waste ◽  
Fruit And Vegetable ◽  
Methods And Techniques ◽  
Social Environmental ◽  
Number Of Publications

Population growth, coupled with a growing demand for food, and its consequent waste and economic, social, environmental, and nutritional impacts, has drawn attention to global discussions related to such issues. In this context, the objective of this research was to provide an overview of studies addressing food waste, in particular, fruits and vegetables. To achieve this purpose, a systematic literature review was carried out, covering papers published in international journals from 2007 to 2017, available in the Science Direct database. The results point out the best practices to avoid food waste, as mentioned in the literature considered.  In addition, this study gathered information regarding the main characteristics of publications, such as the evolution of the number of publications per year; main methods and techniques used in research, and which journals excel at covering the theme. This paper may be useful to researchers and practitioners interested in this topic since it systematizes the knowledge related to food waste in fruit and vegetable supply chains.

Methanogenic community dynamics in anaerobic co-digestion of fruit and vegetable waste and food waste

2012 ◽  
Vol 24 (7) ◽  
pp. 1288-1294 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jia Lin ◽  
Jiane Zuo ◽  
Ruofan Ji ◽  
Xiaojie Chen ◽  
Fenglin Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Waste ◽  
Community Dynamics ◽  
Vegetable Waste ◽  
Fruit And Vegetable ◽  
Methanogenic Community

scholarly journals Association between diet quality and food waste in Canadian families: a cross-sectional study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas Carroll ◽  
Angela Wallace ◽  
Kira Jewell ◽  
Gerarda Darlington ◽  
David W.L. Ma ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Waste ◽  
Diet Quality ◽  
Fruits And Vegetables ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Healthy Eating Index ◽  
Vegetable Waste ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Fruit And Vegetable ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Per Capita

Abstract Background: Higher diet quality has been associated with greater amounts of food waste among adults in the United States. This study aims to build on previous work by examining the association between diet quality and food waste, as assessed using detailed waste audits, among a sample of Canadian families.Methods: This cross-sectional study used data from 85 Canadian families with young children. Parent and children diet quality was assessed using the Healthy Eating Index-2015 (HEI-2015), calculated from 3-day food records. Household food waste was measured using detailed waste audits conducted over multiple weeks and these data were used to calculate daily per capita food waste. Linear regression was used to explore the association between parent and child HEI-2015 scores and daily per capita total avoidable and unavoidable food waste, as well as daily per capita avoidable and unavoidable food waste in the following categories: 1) fruits and vegetables, 2) milk, cheese and eggs, 3) meat and fish, 4) breads and cereals, 5) fats and sugars.Results: Parent HEI-2015 scores ranged from 37 to 92 (out of 100) and 81% of parents’ diets scored in the “Needs Improvement (50-80)” category. Parent and child diet quality scores were significantly correlated (r=0.61; P<0.0001) and 82% of children’s diets scored in the “Needs Improvement” category. On average, households produced 107 grams of avoidable food waste and 52 grams of unavoidable food waste per person per day. Fruits and vegetables were the highest contributor for both avoidable and unavoidable food waste. Both parent and child HEI-2015 scores were not significantly associated with total daily per capita avoidable or unavoidable food waste. However, parent HEI-2015 scores were positively associated with daily per capita avoidable fruit and vegetable waste (β= 1.05; 95%CI: 0.11, 1.99; P= 0.03) and daily per capita unavoidable fruit and vegetable waste (β= 0.60; 95%CI: 0.03, 1.17; P= 0.04), after adjusting for household income.Conclusion: This is the first study to explore the association between diet quality and food waste using detailed waste audits. Future research should explore effective strategies towards improving diet quality while simultaneously reducing food waste, especially of fruits and vegetables.

Effects of mixture ratio on anaerobic co-digestion with fruit and vegetable waste and food waste of China

2011 ◽  
Vol 23 (8) ◽  
pp. 1403-1408 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jia Lin ◽  
Jiane Zuo ◽  
Lili Gan ◽  
Peng Li ◽  
Fenglin Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Waste ◽  
Vegetable Waste ◽  
Fruit And Vegetable ◽  
Mixture Ratio

PROBLEM OF FOOD WASTE IN THE POLICIES OF THE EUROPEAN UNION FOOD SECURITY

2017 ◽  
Vol XIX (3) ◽  
pp. 24-28
Author(s):  
Agnieszka Biernat-Jarka ◽  
Paulina Trębska
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Food Security ◽  
Food Safety ◽  
Food Waste ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Local Level ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Secondary Sources ◽  
Europe Today ◽  
The Eu

The aim of the paper was to present initiatives which leads the European Union in the framework of food safety policy in the area of preventing and reducing levels of food waste. These activities take place both at national, regional and local level in the EU. Food waste occurs in each stage of growing raw materials and production to the consumption. The scale of food waste is huge. Approximately 140 billion tons of food is wasted every year in Europe today. This article reviews the literature in this area and analysis of secondary sources from FAO and Eurostat.

scholarly journals Association between diet quality and food waste in Canadian families: a cross-sectional study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas Carroll ◽  
Angela Wallace ◽  
Kira Jewell ◽  
Gerarda Darlington ◽  
David W.L. Ma ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Waste ◽  
Diet Quality ◽  
Fruits And Vegetables ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Healthy Eating Index ◽  
Vegetable Waste ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Fruit And Vegetable ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Per Capita

Abstract Background: Higher diet quality has been associated with greater amounts of food waste among adults in the United States. This study aims to build on previous work by examining the association between diet quality and food waste, as assessed using detailed waste audits, among a sample of Canadian families.Methods: This cross-sectional study used data from 85 Canadian families with young children. Parent and children diet quality was assessed using the Healthy Eating Index-2015 (HEI-2015), calculated from 3-day food records. Household food waste was measured using detailed waste audits conducted over multiple weeks and these data were used to calculate daily per capita food waste. Linear regression was used to explore the association between parent and child HEI-2015 scores and daily per capita total avoidable and unavoidable food waste, as well as daily per capita avoidable and unavoidable food waste in the following categories: 1) fruits and vegetables, 2) milk, cheese and eggs, 3) meat and fish, 4) breads and cereals, 5) fats and sugars.Results: Parent HEI-2015 scores ranged from 37 to 92 (out of 100) and 81% of parents’ diets scored in the “Needs Improvement (51-80)” category. Parent and child diet quality scores were significantly correlated (r=0.61; P<0.0001) and 82% of children’s diets scored in the “Needs Improvement” category. On average, households produced 107 grams of avoidable food waste and 52 grams of unavoidable food waste per person per day. Fruits and vegetables were the highest contributor for both avoidable and unavoidable food waste. Both parent and child HEI-2015 scores were not significantly associated with total daily per capita avoidable or unavoidable food waste. However, parent HEI-2015 scores were positively associated with daily per capita avoidable fruit and vegetable waste (Unstandardized β= 1.05; 95%CI: 0.11, 1.99; P= 0.03) and daily per capita unavoidable fruit and vegetable waste (Unstandardized β= 0.60; 95%CI: 0.03, 1.17; P= 0.04), after adjusting for household income. Conclusion: This is the first study to explore the association between diet quality and food waste using detailed waste audits. Future research should explore effective strategies towards improving diet quality while simultaneously reducing food waste, especially of fruits and vegetables.

scholarly journals Framing food security and food loss statistics for incisive supply chain improvement and knowledge transfer between Kenyan, Indian and United Kingdom food manufacturers

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. 12
Author(s):  
Wayne Martindale ◽  
Isobel Wright ◽  
Lilian Korir ◽  
Arnold M. Opiyo ◽  
Benard Karanja ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Food Security ◽  
Knowledge Transfer ◽  
Supply Chains ◽  
Food Waste ◽  
Food Supply ◽  
Waste Reduction ◽  
Food Loss ◽  
Food Supply Chains ◽  
Specific Food

The application of global indices of nutrition and food sustainability in public health and the improvement of product profiles has facilitated effective actions that increase food security. In the research reported here we develop index measurements further so that they can be applied to food categories and be used by food processors and manufacturers for specific food supply chains. This research considers how they can be used to assess the sustainability of supply chain operations by stimulating more incisive food loss and waste reduction planning. The research demonstrates how an index driven approach focussed on improving both nutritional delivery and reducing food waste will result in improved food security and sustainability. Nutritional improvements are focussed on protein supply and reduction of food waste on supply chain losses and the methods are tested using the food systems of Kenya and India where the current research is being deployed. Innovative practices will emerge when nutritional improvement and waste reduction actions demonstrate market success, and this will result in the co-development of food manufacturing infrastructure and innovation programmes. The use of established indices of sustainability and security enable comparisons that encourage knowledge transfer and the establishment of cross-functional indices that quantify national food nutrition, security and sustainability. The research presented in this initial study is focussed on applying these indices to specific food supply chains for food processors and manufacturers.

scholarly journals Waste assessment in distribution and marketing logistics of horticultural products: evidence from Brazil

2021 ◽  
Vol 53 (1) ◽  
pp. 207-219
Author(s):  
Dag Mendonça Lima ◽  
Andréa Leda Ramos de Oliveira
Keyword(s):  
Food Waste ◽  
World Population ◽  
Vegetable Waste ◽  
Waste Generation ◽  
Fruit And Vegetable ◽  
Different Dimensions ◽  
Low Levels ◽  
Horticultural Products ◽  
Operational Practices ◽  
Cold Chamber

Worldwide, one-third of the food produced is inconsumable due to marketable quality losses. Parallelly, and given the growing world population, levels of waste have become unacceptable. Supply channels play a fundamental role in establishing strategies for food waste mitigation. The objective of this research was to analyze if good operational practices with different dimensions of distribution and commercialization logistics may contribute to reduce fruit and vegetable waste. The studied dimensions were: logistics, operations, technology, trade and management. Several questionnaires were administered to 83 specialized wholesale merchants from a large supply center in Brazil, for lettuce, potato, orange, papaya and tomato. The results indicated that for papaya and potato, low and high waste generation are associated with a greater number of anti-waste actions (p = 0.0071 and p = 0.0469 respectively). For tomato, lettuce and orange, no significant differences for found. These results represent a first approach to understanding the reasons for food waste at wholesale centers. Highlights: Worldwide, one-third of the food produced is inconsumable due to marketable quality losses. In Brazil, about 40 thousand tons of food is wasted per year. Food waste in the fruit and vegetable supply chain is associated with the following dimensions: logistics, operation, technology, trade and management. For papaya and potatoes, low levels of residues are associated with a greater number of anti-waste actions such use of a cold chamber and use of promotional pricing, respectively. For tomato, lettuce and orange, no significant differences  was found for high and low levels of waste in relation to the number of actions undertaken in these chains.

scholarly journals Association between diet quality and food waste in Canadian families: a cross-sectional study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas Carroll ◽  
Angela Wallace ◽  
Kira Jewell ◽  
Gerarda Darlington ◽  
David W.L. Ma ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Waste ◽  
Diet Quality ◽  
Fruits And Vegetables ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Healthy Eating Index ◽  
Vegetable Waste ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Fruit And Vegetable ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Per Capita

Abstract Background : Higher diet quality has been associated with greater amounts of food waste among adults in the United States. This study aims to build on previous work by examining the association between diet quality and food waste, as assessed using detailed waste audits, among a sample of Canadian families. Methods : This cross-sectional study used data from 85 Canadian families with young children. Parent and children diet quality was assessed using the Healthy Eating Index-2015 (HEI-2015), calculated from 3-day food records. Household food waste was measured using detailed waste audits conducted over multiple weeks and these data were used to calculate daily per capita food waste. Linear regression was used to explore the association between parent and child HEI-2015 scores and daily per capita total avoidable and unavoidable food waste, as well as daily per capita avoidable and unavoidable food waste in the following categories: 1) fruits and vegetables, 2) milk, cheese and eggs, 3) meat and fish, 4) breads and cereals, 5) fats and sugars. Results : Parent HEI-2015 scores ranged from 37 to 92 (out of 100) and 81% of parents’ diets scored in the “Needs Improvement (50-80)” category. Parent and child diet quality scores were significantly correlated (r=0.61; P< 0.0001) and 82% of children’s diets scored in the “Needs Improvement” category. On average, households produced 107 grams of avoidable food waste and 52 grams of unavoidable food waste per person per day. Fruits and vegetables were the highest contributor for both avoidable and unavoidable food waste. Both parent and child HEI-2015 scores were not significantly associated with total daily per capita avoidable or unavoidable food waste. However, parent HEI-2015 scores were positively associated with daily per capita avoidable fruit and vegetable waste (Unstandardized β= 1.05; 95%CI: 0.11, 1.99; P = 0.03) and daily per capita unavoidable fruit and vegetable waste (Unstandardized β= 0.60; 95%CI: 0.03, 1.17; P = 0.04), after adjusting for household income. Conclusion : This is the first study to explore the association between diet quality and food waste using detailed waste audits. Future research should explore effective strategies towards improving diet quality while simultaneously reducing food waste, especially of fruits and vegetables.

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