Hanna Hartikainen

Elements affecting food waste in the food service sector

Avoidable food waste is produced in the food service sector, with significant ecological and economical impacts. In order to understand and explain better the complex issue of food waste a qualitative study was conducted on the reasons for its generation in restaurants and catering businesses. Research data were collected during three participatory workshops for personnel from three different catering sector companies in Finland. Based on synthesized qualitative content analysis, eight elements influencing production and reduction of food waste were identified. Results revealed the diversity of managing food waste in the food service sector and how a holistic approach is required to prevent and reduce it. It is crucial to understand that food waste is manageable and should be an integral component of the management system. The model of eight factors provides a framework for recognition and management of food waste in the food service sector.

Environmental impacts of food waste in Europe

Approximately 88 Million tonnes (Mt) of food is wasted in the European Union each year and the environmental impacts of these losses throughout the food supply chain are widely recognised. This study illustrates the impacts of food waste in relation to the total food utilised, including the impact from food waste management based on available data at the European level. The impacts are calculated for the Global Warming Potential, the Acidification Potential and the Eutrophication Potential using a bottom-up approach using more than 134 existing LCA studies on nine representative products (apple, tomato, potato, bread, milk, beef, pork, chicken, white fish). Results show that 186 Mt CO2-eq, 1.7 Mt SO2-eq. and 0.7 Mt PO4-eq can be attributed to food waste in Europe. This is 15 to 16% of the total impact of the entire food supply chain. In general, the study confirmed that most of the environmental impacts are derived from the primary production step of the chain. That is why animal-containing food shows most of the food waste related impacts when it is extrapolated to total food waste even if cereals are higher in mass. Nearly three quarters of all food waste-related impacts for Global Warming originate from greenhouse gas emissions during the production step. Emissions by food processing activities contribute 6%, retail and distribution 7%, food consumption, 8% and food disposal, 6% to food waste related impacts. Even though the results are subject to certain data and scenario uncertainties, the study serves as a baseline assessment, based on current food waste data, and can be expanded as more knowledge on the type and amount of food waste becomes available. Nevertheless, the importance of food waste prevention is underlined by the results of this study, as most of the impacts originate from the production step. Through food waste prevention, those impacts can be avoided as less food needs to be produced.

Food losses and waste in primary production : Data collection in the Nordic countries

This project has resulted in a suggested definitional and methodological framework for future food waste studies in primary production. It has also resulted in a first attempt to quantify food wast ...

Food losses and waste in primary production : Case studies on carrots, onions, peas, cereals and farmed fish

This report presents the results from six case studies of food losses and waste in primary production in the Nordic region. The product groups studied were carrots, onions, cereal (wheat or rye), green peas, field peas, and cultivated fish (rainbow trout or char). We used different methods to study the side flows: questionnaires, in-field measurements and interviews. Instead of the term “food losses and waste” we use the term “side flows”. The side flow ranged from 4 % to 31 % for vegetables, cereals and pulses and most of the side flow for occurs after harvest, e.g. when sorting and storing the products. The main reason for side flow is quality issues. Weather conditions and diseases have a major impact on the quality of the products. We cannot draw many conclusions on side flow amounts for fish based on the results. The reasons for fish side flow are mainly diseases and predators.

Interview and questionnaire guide : Quantification of food losses and waste in primary production

This interview guide was developed within the Nordic project “Food losses and waste in primary production” (Franke et al. 2016). One of the main purposes of the project was to test research methods ...

Food losses and waste in primary production

This report presents the results from six case studies of food losses and waste in primary production in the Nordic region. The product groups studied were carrots, onions, cereal (wheat or rye), green peas, field peas, and cultivated fish (rainbow trout or char). We used different methods to study the side flows: questionnaires, in-field measurements and interviews. Instead of the term “food losses and waste” we use the term “side flows”. The side flow ranged from 4 % to 31 % for vegetables, cereals and pulses and most of the side flow for occurs after harvest, e.g. when sorting and storing the products. The main reason for side flow is quality issues. Weather conditions and diseases have a major impact on the quality of the products. We cannot draw many conclusions on side flow amounts for fish based on the results. The reasons for fish side flow are mainly diseases and predators.

Case studies – food losses and waste in primary production

This report presents the results from six case studies of food losses and waste in primary production in the Nordic region. The product groups studied were carrots, onions, cereal (wheat or rye), green peas, field peas, and cultivated fish (rainbow trout or char). We used different methods to study the side flows: questionnaires, in-field measurements and interviews. Instead of the term “food losses and waste” we use the term “side flows”. The side flow ranged from 4 % to 31 % for vegetables, cereals and pulses and most of the side flow for occurs after harvest, e.g. when sorting and storing the products. The main reason for side flow is quality issues. Weather conditions and diseases have a major impact on the quality of the products. We cannot draw many conclusions on side flow amounts for fish based on the results. The reasons for fish side flow are mainly diseases and predators.

Kartläggning av matsvinnet i primärproduktionen

Mat slangs i alla delar av livsmedelskedjan. Det finns statistik pa hur mycket som kastas i flera led av kedjan men for primarproduktionen, alltsa jordbrukarnas verksamhet, ...