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Review
. 2024 Jul 27;13(15):2374.
doi: 10.3390/foods13152374.

Safe Circular Food Systems: A Transdisciplinary Approach to Identify Emergent Risks in Food Waste Nutrient Cycling

Brieanne Berry  1 , Travis Blackmer  2 , Michael Haedicke  3 , Susanne Lee  4 , Jean D MacRae  5 , T Reed Miller  5 , Balunkeswar Nayak  6 , Louis Rivet-Préfontaine  3 , Deborah Saber  7 , Linda Silka  4 , Astha Thakali  5 , Jared Wildwistle  8 , Chyanne Yoder  9 , Cindy Isenhour  10
Affiliations
Review

Safe Circular Food Systems: A Transdisciplinary Approach to Identify Emergent Risks in Food Waste Nutrient Cycling

Brieanne Berry et al. Foods. .

Abstract

With growing awareness of the environmental, economic, and social costs associated with food waste, there is a concerted effort on multiple scales to recover the nutrient value of discarded food. These developments are positive, but the rapid movement toward alternatives and the complexity of solving problems located at the intersection of economic, social, and environmental systems also have the potential to produce unanticipated risks. This paper draws upon long-term stakeholder-engaged research throughout New England, with a focus on Maine, to develop a transdisciplinary, systems-based model of the potential social, economic, and environmental risks of food waste nutrient cycling. Our effort is intended to help inform the creation of safe, functional, and environmentally benign circular food systems.

Keywords: compost; digestion; food waste; nutrient cycling; risk; safety; systems thinking; transdisciplinary; trust.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
EPA Wasted Food Scale. Our focus areas are outlined.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Maine annual food loss and waste generation and recovery capacity.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Potential for contamination risks as identified by stakeholders and literature review.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Processor perceptions of level of contamination risk by generator type. (Due to rounding, some figures may not total to 100).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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