Food Losses and Food Waste in the Context of Sustainable Development of the Food Sector

Globally, about one third of all food produced is wasted every year. Losses take place along the entire food chain and they need to be analyzed and monitored due to their impact on the development of the food sector. In addition to quantitative losses, irrational use of food contributes to the depletion of natural resources （water and energy） and poses a threat to the environment, constituting a barrier to sustainable development of the food sector. The aim of this study was to establish the causes and effects of food waste throughout the food supply chain and to propose mitigation measures. Identified causes of food waste can be divided into two groups. The first are those that lead to the fact that food cannot be consumed （e.g., inadequate conditions of agricultural production and interruption of the cold chain）. In the second, those that cause food cannot be sold （e.g., wrong label and wrong product weight）. Most of the identified causes of food waste can be avoided （e.g., by improving the conditions of production, storage, and transportation）. However, it is not possible to eliminate all potential errors leading to food waste. It is therefore necessary to consider what action to take to use food as intended. One way to reduce losses and food waste can be re-distributing to charity.

Spatiotemporal Characteristics of Droughts and Floods in Shandong Province,China and Their Relationship with Food Loss

Mastering the pattern of food loss caused by droughts and floods aids in planning the layout of agricultural production,determining the scale of drought and flood control projects,and reducing food loss.The Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index is calculated using monthly meteorological data from 1984 to 2020 in Shandong Province of China and is used to identify the province’s drought and flood characteristics.Then,food losses due to droughts and floods are estimated separately from disaster loss data.Finally,the relationship between drought/flood-related factors and food losses is quantified using methods such as the Pearson correlation coefficient and linear regression.The results show that:1)there is a trend of aridity in Shandong Province,and the drought characteristic variables are increasing yearly while flood duration and severity are decreasing.2)The food losses caused by droughts in Shandong Province are more than those caused by floods,and the area where droughts and floods occur frequently is located in Linyi City.3)The impact of precipitation on food loss due to drought/flood is significant,followed by potential evapotranspiration and temperature.4)The relationship between drought and flood conditions and food losses can be precisely quantified.The accumulated drought duration of one month led to 1.939×10^(4)t of grain loss,and an increase in cumulative flood duration of one month resulted in1.134×10^(4)t of grain loss.If the cumulative drought severity and average drought peak increased by one unit,food loss due to drought will increase by 1.562×10^(4)t and 1.511×10^(6)t,respectively.If the cumulative flood severity and average flood peak increase by one unit,food loss will increase by 8.470×103t and 1.034×10^(6)t,respectively.

Water, Energy and Nutrient Losses from Food Wastage of Selected Crops in Three Agro-Climatic Zones in British Columbia, Canada

Food waste is a growing global concern. Data on the factors and magnitude are largely global estimates, thus local studies aid in providing information on the impacts of food waste. Three important agro-climatic zones in British Columbia and nine common crops, both annual and perennial, were selected to evaluate the environmental and nutritional implications of local food waste. Using Canadian estimates of total food waste, the constituent water, caloric content, protein, vitamin C, phosphorus and potassium wasted by each crop were estimated. Regionally, the total production and losses were the highest in the Lower Fraser Valley which had high production of potatoes and blueberries, followed by the Okanagan, with grapes and apples, and Vancouver Island, with potatoes. Virtual water was estimated by the BC Agriculture Water Calculator and used to assess the soil and climatic factors impacting the local water demand. Although soil texture seemed to influence water demand, the agro-climatic zone was the main factor controlling the water demand and the corresponding amount of water wasted. Dry agro-climatic zones had annual virtual water up to two times higher for the same crop and soil texture. Lower water demand crops, finer soils and more efficient irrigation systems were more congruent with water stress scenarios. Total losses for each region were based on conservative estimates and would have supplied the caloric energy and protein for over 40,000 adults, and vitamin C for over 300,000 adults for one year. Additionally, the total N, P and K wasted accounted for up to 32, 2 and 13 kg/ha respectively for common fertilizers used in British Columbia. This study confirmed the significance of food waste impacts on local water demand, human nutrition and soil management based on regional data for representative crops.

Decoding the fruit microbiome:A climate smart strategy to manage postharvest decays

There is an urgent necessity to shift our diets toward those rich in fruits and vegetables and at reduce postharvest losses of perishables.Approximately 20%-50%of fruits and vegetables are lost due to poor postharvest handling and pathogen infections in developing countries while it was estimated as 5%-35%in developed countries. Fresh fruits have evolved with a plethora of microorganisms having important roles in maintaining fruit health. However, little information is available on the dynamics, structure, and functional capacities of underpinning fruit microbiomes. The present review discussed environmental conditions favoring fruit-harbored antagonists and their different modes of action for suppressing postharvest pathogens in fruits. It also provides information on omics technologies such as next-generation sequencing (NGS),metaproteomics, metatranscriptomic, and metabolomics studies to characterize fruit microbiomes. With the advent of NGS and meta-omics technologies, microbiome research could bring remarkable development and understanding in succeeding biological treatments. In addition, they may provide us with a fundamental understanding of microclimate requirements for fruit microbiome establishment and microbiome shifts during post-harvest storage, which would be advantageous in developing composite biocontrol treatments for post-harvest decay management.

An Integrated Framework for Regional Assessment of Water, Energy, and Nutrients from Food Loss of Selected Crops in the Lower Fraser Valley, Canada

Although there is no global shortage of food or water, food security has not been achieved, as human activity has turned these vital resources into “waste”. Wasted food not only loses valuable water resources but embedded calories of human energy and nutrients for healthy human populations. The Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations, in addressing these concerns, focuses on a global scale largely on an economic estimate of individual components of energy or water or nutrient loss. It is suggested that more information is required through local or regional assessments to provide better estimates, incorporating regional factors of the losses along the food supply chain. To address this suggestion, this study focused on an intensive agricultural and rapidly urbanizing region of Canada, the Lower Fraser Valley of British Columbia. Seven selected crops, including annual crops such as green peas, sweet corn and potato, and perennial crops that included three berry crops were assessed for their water, both constituent and virtual, as well as embedded energy, protein, and Vitamin C. Annual virtual water losses were higher for sprinkler than drip irrigation, ranging from 82 × 106 kg of water for strawberry to 7570 × 106 kg for blueberry. These high virtual water losses estimated along the food chain confirm the significance of food loss impacts on local water resources. Estimates of losses of food in kg were highest at the consumer level along the food chain and it was estimated that wasted food from the seven crops selected would have supplied the protein and caloric energy of over 33,000 men per year and Vitamin C of about 240,000 men per year. This assessment increases the awareness of food loss impacts from a regional perspective and provides a framework for future research on both environmental and nutritional implications of wasted food.

Construction of New Value Chain Management and Various BOMs for Research Project of SDGs Food Loss Reduction:Case Studies on Circular Economy Sweets Product Planning,Sales Event Holding,and Questionnaire Surveys

Regarding the social problem of food loss in Japan,about 10%-20%of agricultural products(e.g.vegetables and fruits)are seen as“non-standardized foods”or“surplus foods”by the Agricultural Cooperative Association.Those foods are then discarded.The Tamaki Laboratory of the School of Business,Aoyama Gakuin University is promoting the“SDGs Food Loss Regeneration Project”through industry and academic collaboration—as a research study—to solve this social problem.Therefore,the purpose of this research is the following three subjects:(1)Indicate the design of VCM(value chain management).VCM corresponds to the planning,manufacturing,and sales meetings of“SDGs Moist Vegetable Cake”,and the roles of stakeholders engaged in each area of VCM.(2)Design various BOMs(bill of materials)corresponding to the VCM.Describe how to use BOM and the significance of using each BOM in cooperation.(3)In order to verify the effectiveness of the“SDGs Food Loss Regeneration Project”with“SDGs Moist Vegetable Cake”,conduct and analyze questionnaire surveys and consider the results.

Towards sustainable agriculture:Harnessing AI for global food security

The issue of food security continues to be a prominent global concern,affecting a significant number of individ-uals who experience the adverse effects of hunger and malnutrition.The finding of a solution of this intricate issue necessitates the implementation of novel and paradigm-shifting methodologies in agriculture and food sec-tor.In recent times,the domain of artificial intelligence(AI)has emerged as a potent tool capable of instigating a profound influence on the agriculture and food sectors.AI technologies provide significant advantages by opti-mizing crop cultivation practices,enabling the use of predictive modelling and precision agriculture techniques,and aiding efficient crop monitoring and disease identification.Additionally,AI has the potential to optimize sup-ply chain operations,storage management,transportation systems,and quality assurance processes.It also tackles the problem of food loss and waste through post-harvest loss reduction,predictive analytics,and smart inventory management.This study highlights that how by utilizing the power of AI,we could transform the way we produce,distribute,and manage food,ultimately creating a more secure and sustainable future for all.

Development and challenges of green food in China

Green food in China refers to a wide array of primary and processed agricultural products that are safe,nutritious and of high quality for human consumption.Green food has been certified and produced following the principle of sustainability since the 1990 s,making historic achievements in providing quality food,protecting the environment,increasing farmer income,and nurturing agricultural brands over the past 30 years in China.Today,the green food industry enters a steady-growth stage in terms of cultivation area,product number and sales.This article summarizes the history of the development of green food in China and current achievements,analyze major challenges that may hamper further development of the industry,and propose strategies to address these challenges,i.e.,optimization of the food supply chain,deep food processing,and utilization of food wastes.

Review on drivers,trends and emerging issues of the food wastage in China

China has successfully achieved food selfsufficiency over the past 50 years,however,with large inputs and losses.To meet the challenge of feeding a growing population with limited resources,many studies have explored options for improving productivity and efficiency of the food production.However,there have been few studies into the potential of reducing food loss along the whole food production-consumption chain.Here we review the literature on food waste in China.We briefly analyze(1)the drivers that influence levels of food waste in the food chain,(2)examine trends in the volumes and types of food wasted at different stages in the food chain,(3)assess the environmental and resource consequences of food waste in the food chain,and(4)evaluate the policy and stakeholder responses to the emerging challenges.It is concluded that reducing food loss and meeting food security in China requires a coherent institutional structure that promotes the synergistic outcomes of research,policy and education.Suggested key actions include(1)improving machinery and facility for sowing,harvesting,transportation and storage,which can reduce food loss by up to 50%,and(2)improving food waste recycling management,based on coupled food production and consumption systems.