Executive Summary
The study draws attention to the losses taking place alongside the entire food chain and consequently makes an investigation into their magnitude. The outcomes of the study indicate that just about a third of the food production meant for human consumption vanishes or goes into waste internationally and amounts to approximately 1.3 billion tons annually. This without a doubt also implies that massive amounts of the resources made us of in the production of food is in vain with the emissions of gas by the greenhouses also in vain. Food loses or waste occurs all throughout the chain of supply from the primary agricultural production to the final stages of household consumption. In the average and high-income nations, food is to a considerable extent wasted at the stage of consumption thereby implying that it is redundant even when it is still appropriate for consumption by humans. Considerable losses also take place early in the food chain supply in the regions of industrialization. In the low income nations, food lose occurs mainly during the primary and middle phases of the food chain supply as not much goes into waste at the level of consumption. Overall, based on per-capita, a lot of food goes into waste in the industrialized nations compared to the developing nations. The causes of food waste and food losses in low-income nations are mainly attributable to the financial, technical and managerial limitations in the storage, harvesting approaches and cooling facilities.
Table of Content
1. Executive Summary
2. Introduction
3. Literature Review
4. Discussion
5. Conclusion
6. References
Introduction
The problems encountered in the difficult climatic circumstances, infrastructure, marketing and systems exacerbate the situation of food waste. Given that the majority of the small-scale farmers in the developing nations survive on the peripheries of food insecurity, a decrease in the food waste possibly will have an instantaneous and significant effect on the livelihoods of the citizens. Consequently, the food chains supplies in the developing nations require strengthening through motivating the small farmers to diversify organize and upscale their marketing and production. Additional requirements are investments in infrastructure, packaging industries and the food industries. Both the private and public sectors have a role to undertake in accomplishing the strengthening. The causes of food wastages and food losses in the average and high-income nations mainly relate to the behaviors of customers and the lacking in coordination from the different players in the food chain supply. The agreements between the farmers and the purchasers could contribute to the amount of farm produces that will go into waste. The quality standards of the food can also lead to wastage as the food rejection applies to those, not in perfect appearance or shape (Brown, 2007).
At the level, of the consumer, unsatisfactory planning and expiry results in large quantities of wastage. Furthermore, a careless consumer attitude can lead to the wasting of food. Nevertheless, the food wastages situation in the industrialized nations is reducible through the creation of awareness amongst the food industries, consumers and retailers. There is urgency of discovering potent and beneficial utilization of safe food, which currently undergoes wastages. The study reveals significant gaps in the data regarding the knowledge of global food wastage and loses. In addition, there is a need for an urgent research in the area. Food security is a fundamental concern in the larger segments of the developing world. Accordingly, food production should undoubtedly increase considerably to meet the demands of the future for an increasing and further affluent global population. The study demonstrates that a major element in the fight of imbalances and reduction of tension between the essential increase in the challenges of production and the increase in consumption is on the promotion of food loss reduction that singularly bears a considerable potential of increasing the efficacy of the entire food chain. In a world with restricted natural resources including water, land, fertilizer and energy, cost-effective solutions are necessary for the production of sufficient, secure and notorious food for everyone. The reduction of food losses should not be a set aside priority (O’Donnell, 2012).
Literature Review
Food wastages refer to the reduction in consumption food all throughout the segment of the chain of supply, which precisely results to the consumption food for humans. Food wastages occur at the production, post harvesting and processing levels in the food chain supply. The wastages of food taking place at the concluding stage of the food chain relate to the behaviors of consumers and retailers. Food wastage measurement is only for the products, which have a direction to the consumption by humans except for the feed and components of products that are not edible. The subject of food wastages is of fundamental importance in the endeavor to fight hunger, enhance food security and raise income in the poorest nations in the world. The wastages of food have an influence on the food security of poor individuals, quality of food and safety, development of the economy and the environment. The precise causes of food wastages are different all throughout the world and are extremely dependent on the exact circumstances and local scenarios of given nation. Overall, the selection and patterns of production influence the activities of food wastages. Additional factors include the internal infrastructure and capability, chains of marketing and distribution channels along with purchases of consumers and practices of food utilization (Baldwin, 2009).
Economically preventable, food wastages have a negative and direct effect on the returns of both consumers and the farmers. Given that numerous smallholders thrive on the edges of food insecurity, a decrease in the wastage of food possibly will have an immediate and noteworthy effect on the livelihoods of these individuals. For the poor consumers, the priority is undoubtedly to have access to the food products, which are nutritious, secure and affordable. It is imperative to take note of food insecurity frequently being more of an accessing concern rather than supplying. Enhancing the efficacy of the food chain supply could assist with the bringing down of the food cost to the consumer and consequently increase access. Given the scope of the food wastages, making investments that are profitable in the reduction of losses could be a method utilized in the reduction of the cost of food. However, that would certainly require no outweighing through costs the financial gains on from the reduced losses.
The questions regarding the amount of food that is wasted and lost in the world currently and the manner in which the food wastages are preventable, have no allocation of precise responses, as there are not continuing research on the subject. This is relatively astonishing as forecasts propose that food production should increase considerably in order to meet the demands of the future. There is inadequate attention at the contemporary global food chain supply wastages, which are substantial. In spite of the economic level of economic development and the maturity of the systems in a nation, Maintaining of food wastages should be at a minimum. Food wastages signify a waste of resources made use of in production such as water, raw materials, energy and land. Failure to consume food produced for the similar purpose results in unnecessary emission of carbon dioxide and loss in the economic worth of the food produced (Cribb, 2010).
Discussion
Tackling of food wastage requires an increasing smart management approach crosswise the food system to evade pointless losses whereas also maintaining the quality of food and preserving the levels of food strategy. On the side of consumption, there is a need for behavioral transformation. This could be the hardest to manipulate given the norms and practices entrenched by the food consumers all throughout the world. A schematic provision would offer an overview of the fields of action that would reduce the wastages along the chain, from the harvesting stage to the consumption phase. Whereas the actions may currently not be on the required scale of addressing food wastages comprehensively, they demonstrate some of the additional innovations under exploration and implementation, as well as, the significant responsibilities commercial ventures play in this regard.
Investment in processors and growers
The investment will allow for the increase in capabilities and sharing of technical knowledge that allows for the building capacity. Businesses take into recognition the significance of smallholders involved in agricultural activities around the globe. However, inefficiencies are plentiful thereby resulting in the wastage of food from the processes of harvesting and storage. Consequently, businesses invest in the measures of building capacity such as training while on farm, collaborating with technical NGOs and improving the systems of management, which promote further sustainable practices.
Rethinking the processes of production
Food wastages occur in the production stages where there occurs discarding. Factories are in the lookout for their plants to make use of all inputs more effectively. Other businesses are embarking on the construction of zero waste plants and integrating food into the zero waste objectives.
Addressing of the food wastages in the marketing and sales
Commercial ventures are encouraging minimal wasteful behaviors through awareness campaigns and promotions with offers of deferred benefits to the customers purchasing certain products. The strategy is a fresh spin on the conventional deals that frequently result in the products spoiling prior to their utilization by the consumers.
Providing training programs
Certain foodservice providers engage in the training of their staffs in skills of prevention of wastages from taking place in the restaurant surroundings. Additional plans include the establishment of programs of composting wastes from operations of foodservice (Arvanitoyannis, 2007).
Decreasing in store food wastages
As aforementioned, food wastages are a frequent happening in the environments such as supermarkets. Consequently, setting goals of reducing food wastages in the in stores is accomplishable through better arraying and in store supply management along with collaboration with programs of food donations and other stakeholders in the social order who make use of the food wastes as resources.
Establishment of programs of food redistribution
The collaborations by businesses with charitable groupings and food shelters in the redistribution of food that would nonetheless end up uneaten is another way of managing the food wastages.
Conclusion
Studies carried out in the future should take into consideration a compilation and analysis of the food wastages from the reports and various data available. Estimation of the waste volumes and waste levels in every step of the food chain supply is a fundamental step towards the establishment of the magnitude of the food wastages. The causes of food wastages and methods of preventing the wastages require consideration. Owing to the lack of satisfactory data, making of numerous assumptions on the levels of food wastages with at the summit the levels of consumption and distribution fail to illustrate the precise situation of the wastages. Interpretation of results in the instances of assumed data ought to involve a lot of caution.
The initial studies point to the considerable data gaps in the obtainable understanding of the world food waste, particularly concerning the food wastages quantification through the individual causes and the cost of food wastage prevention. Nevertheless, whenever data are obtainable, their accompaniment is frequently with substantial uncertainties. There is urgency for further research on the food wastage field more so considering that is a fundamental concern in massive large segments of the developing world. Whereas an increase in the primary production of food is paramount for the accomplishment of the future increases in the final demand strains between access and production to food, can also undergo reduction by tapping into the prospective in order to decrease the food wastages.
Effective solutions reside alongside the entire food chain in the reduction of total quantities of food wasted. Direction of actions towards the isolated segments of the chain should be discouraged as whatever takes place in one segment possesses effects to the other segment. In the low-income nations, the actions should encompass at the foremost a producer standpoint such as an enhancement of the techniques of harvesting, education of farmers, cooling chains and storage facilities. The industrialized nations on the contrary will encompass marginal solutions at the industrial and producer levels when the consumers continue with wastage at the present levels. Consumer households ought to have information and change in their behavior, which results in the high levels of food wastage. Furthermore, the food chain supply presently has a globalization essence. The production of certain food items, transformation and consumption, takes place in extremely different segments of the world. Assessment on the influence of the developing international trade on the wastages of food should be on the increase.
References
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O’Donnell, C. P. (2012). Ozone in food processing. Chichester, West Sussex: Wiley-Blackwell.
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