Food waste within food supply chains: quantification and potential for change to 2050

Abstract

Food waste in the global food supply chain is reviewed in relation to the prospects for feeding a population of nine billion by 2050. Different definitions of food waste with respect to the complexities of food supply chains (FSCs)are discussed. An international literature review found a dearth of data on food waste and estimates varied widely; those for post-harvest losses of grain in developing countries might be overestimated. As much of the post-harvest loss data for developing countries was collected over 30 years ago, current global losses cannot be quantified. A significant gap exists in the understanding of the food waste implications of the rapid development of 'BRIC' economies. The limited data suggest that losses are much higher at the immediate post-harvest stages in developing countries and higher for perishable foods across industrialized and developing economies alike. For affluent economies, post-consumer food waste accounts for the greatest overall losses. To supplement the fragmentary picture and to gain a forward view, interviews were conducted with international FSC experts. The analyses highlighted the scale of the problem, the scope for improved system efficiencies and the challenges of affecting behavioural change to reduce post-consumer waste in affluent populations.

Figure 1.

Schematic development of FSCs in relation to post-harvest infrastructure.

Figure 2.

Food waste profile, UK food processing, distribution, retail and post-consumer. Light blue bars, recovery/reuse; magenta bars, disposal. From WRAP (2010).

Figure 3.

Sources and disposal routes of household food and drink in UK homes. From WRAP (2009a) Household food and drink waste in the UK.

Figure 4.

Definitions associated with household food and drink waste. From WRAP (2009a) Household food and drink waste in the UK.

Figure 5.

Summary of household food waste composition across five countries.

Figure 6.

Weight of food and drink waste by food group, split by ‘avoidability’. Brown bars, avoidable; yellow bars, possibly avoidable; dark blue bars, unavoidable. From WRAP (2009a) Household food and drink Waste in the UK. Brown bars, avoidable; yellow bars, possibly avoidable; dark blue bars, unavoidable.

Figure 7.

Classification of UK household food and drink waste by avoidability, reason for disposal and economic value. Bracketed figures show the tonnages and economic values for food and drink separately. From WRAP (2009a) Household food and drink waste in the UK.