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In the last decade, in many European Countries more and more measures have been initiated aiming at the prevention of food losses and wastes along the entire value chain. In order to evaluate or monitor such important measures it is crucial to obtain quantitative information on generated food waste amounts, subsequently enabling the quantitative evaluation of the measure’s outcomes and efficiency. Currently there is a paucity of quantitative information, particularly on food losses that are directly generated during harvesting processes. Up to date, no method is available or standardised aiming at the in-situ or on-site quantification of food losses during harvest. Using the example of the potato harvest, this study presents a practical approach for determining potato losses. To test the applicability of the developed method, on-site measurements were conducted directly on the field at five different locations in Austria and Germany. Our method enables the quantification of food losses based on defined areas along the harvested potato rows, where the analyser manually collects potatoes during their harvest. Hereby, two types of potato losses needs to be considered: non-harvested, under-sized potatoes that remain under the earth and the harvested ones, which are rejected on-site because of quality requirements regarding their size, shape, and state of health. Our study shows that between 1 and 9% of field losses (based on yield potential) can be generated during the potato harvest. In future, this method may be the basis for standardised protocols in order to be able to derive cultivar-specific benchmarks and, consequently, to develop measures for preventing food losses. In general, more case studies and evidence-based ground-up measurements on other cultivars and for other regions are needed focusing on the on-site quantification of post-harvest losses.
Die Verschwendung von Ressourcen ist ein Symptom unserer heutigen Überflussgesellschaft und manifestiert sich unter anderem in großen Mengen an Lebensmittelabfällen und -verlusten. Diese entstehen tagtäglich über alle Stufen von Lebensmittelwertschöpfungsketten, wobei in Industrieländern insbesondere Privathaushalte negativ hervorstechen. Gleichzeitig weisen Privathaushalte das größte Vermeidungspotenzial auf. Das Ziel der vorliegenden Arbeit ist, einen Beitrag zur Ausschöpfung dieses Potenzials zu leisten, indem Empfehlungen für eine zielgruppenorientierte Kommunikation zur Lebensmittelabfallreduktion hergeleitet werden. Eine quantitative Onlinebefragung (n = 801), die hinsichtlich Alters- und Geschlechterverteilung repräsentativ für die deutsche Bevölkerung ist, wurde im Sommer 2018 durchgeführt. Basierend auf einer systematischen Literaturrecherche wurden Gründe für das Entstehen von Lebensmittelabfällen in Privathaushalten ermittelt und mit Items zu Kommunikationspräferenzen kombiniert abgefragt. Mittels Faktorenanalyse und anschließender hierarchischer Clusteranalyse wurden sechs Konsumentensegmente identifiziert, die sich hinsichtlich ihres Verhaltens, Einstellung und Wissens bezogen auf Lebensmittelabfälle unterscheiden. Die Cluster wurden anhand demografischer Variablen sowie ihrer Kommunikationspräferenzen charakterisiert. Das Resultat der vorliegenden Arbeit sind konkrete Empfehlungen zur zielgruppenorientierten Kommunikation in Bezug auf Lebensmittelabfallreduktionsmaßnahmen. Die statistisch signifikanten Gruppenunterschiede hinsichtlich der Faktoren für das Entstehen von Lebensmittelabfällen unterstreichen den Bedarf der Zielgruppenorientierung, um effektive Maßnahmen zu entwickeln, die schlussendlich einen Beitrag zu einer nachhaltigen Entwicklung leisten. Forschungsbedarf wurde hinsichtlich einer präziseren Charakterisierung der Konsumentensegmente bezüglich ihrer Kommunikationspräferenzen festgestellt.
NRW isst besser!
(2021)
Food-processing companies are controlled by societal influences and economic interests, but their efforts with regard to reducing food loss and waste are very different. This qualitative study aims to identify basic recommendations of good practice for the food-processing industry in order to prevent and handle food loss and waste. For this purpose, a comprehensive literature review was conducted in the field of food waste prevention and data was collected from thirteen German companies. The findings summarize the recommendations of good practice, which cover the entire supply chain from supplier to consumer and beyond. The analysis showed that the participating companies are already partially aware of operational measures, even if they are applied or mentioned without a systematic approach. Furthermore, the analysis revealed that most activities relate to internal matters, like processing, employees and utilization. However, the responsibility of foodprocessing companies does not end with internal processes to reduce food waste. The results show that some companies are already aware of their responsibility to be involved along the entire supply chain. Finally, the results show that the needs of consumers and suppliers must also be considered in order to reduce food waste, in addition to direct reduction measures. This paper highlights nine important stages and 53 basic recommendations for companies to address food loss and waste in order to improve their practices.
