Michael von Massow

Household-level dynamics of food waste production and related beliefs, attitudes, and behaviours in Guelph, Ontario

It has been estimated that Canadians waste

A strategic decision framework for a value added supply chain

27 billion of food annually, and that half of that waste occurs at the household level (Gooch et al., 2010). There are social, environmental, and economic implications for this scale of food waste, and source separation of organic waste is an increasingly common municipal intervention. There is relatively little research that assesses the dynamics of household food waste (particularly in Canada). The purpose of this study is to combine observations of organic, recyclable, and garbage waste production rates to survey results of food waste-related beliefs, attitudes, and behaviours at the household level in the mid-sized municipality of Guelph, Ontario. Waste weights and surveys were obtained from 68 households in the summer of 2013. The results of this study indicate multiple relationships between food waste production and household shopping practices, food preparation behaviours, household waste management practices, and food-related attitudes, beliefs, and lifestyles. Notably, we observed that food awareness, waste awareness, family lifestyles, and convenience lifestyles were related to food waste production. We conclude that it is important to understand the diversity of factors that can influence food wasting behaviours at the household level in order to design waste management systems and policies to reduce food waste.

Locating emergency facilities with random demand for risk minimization

Supply chains are becoming increasingly complex. The structure of the supply chain and the suppliers who participate in it are critical decisions for managers. The supply chain is no longer simply a source of inputs or services but an integral source of value added. It is clear that in some cases strategic supply chain objectives may require trade-offs, for example, between cost and innovation capability or between managing risk and maximising flexibility. These decisions balancing trade-offs between desirable partner characteristics are critical and can make a significant contribution to business performance. A framework is outlined, based on the foundation of extant literature, within which firms can make strategic decisions on supply chain structure by categorising the characteristics they prioritise in their supply chain strategy. There is also a strong foundation in the literature on developing mathematical models that provide insight into the decision-making process. A mixed integer programming model is specified that incorporates the opportunity for diversification and provides a demand allocation decision. The model is robust enough to allow for single or diversified supplier strategies based not only on capacity constraints but also on risk pooling and minimum performance requirements for key characteristics that form the basis of the strategy. A Lagrangian relaxation is proposed and satisfactory performance results are provided.

“Back of house” – focused study on food waste in fine dining: the case of Delish restaurants

Locating emergency service facilities is a challenging problem. Planners do not know specifically where emergencies will occur and, therefore, struggle to find a location that effectively ensures that the risk of poor service to any specific emergency is minimized. In this paper, we study the problem where locations of each demand point (emergency occurence) are random. Our objective is to minimize the expected maximum rectilinear distance from the facility to the demand points. This problem has practical importance in public sector as it aims to minimize the expected maximum risk when locating an emergency response facility. We start with a one dimensional problem and extend the results to the more complex two dimensional case. We present some properties of the problem along with examples for special cases. We propose a simulation approach to solving complex two dimensional cases and present simulation results for general cases to illustrate the problem and provide insight into solutions. We show that the simulation approach provides solutions very close to optimal for the linear case and suggest that it may provide valuable insight into the location selection system.

Food Recalls and Risk Perception: An Exploratory Case of the XL Foods and the Biggest Food Recall in Canadian History

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify the key determinants of back-of-house-based food waste in food service outlets. This case study focuses on Delish restaurants, a well-known restaurant chain in Canada, and aims to provide a clear understanding of food service procurement, kitchen practices, cost management, risk mitigation, menu design and technical literacy needs in hospitality. Some recommendations for future studies are also provided. Design/methodology/approach – The authors chose an exploratory case study design to guide our investigation on restaurants and food waste, based on Yin’s (1994) argument that case studies are the preferred strategy when the “why” questions is being posed and when the focus is on a modern occurrence within a real-life context. Such a design is particularly appropriate for understanding the details and complexity of a phenomenon and its design (Stake, 1995). In this study, research data were collected through multiple points. A semi-structured questionnaire...

An economic evaluation of intervention strategies for Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea (PED)

The recall that plagued Canada’s XL Foods in 2012, tied to E. coli cases found in ground beef, was the largest food recall in Canadian history. As a result of the outbreak, 18 consumers allegedly became ill and XL Foods launched a voluntary recall of all packaged meats from the plant, and the plant underwent intense sanitation for weeks. This study aims to understand how the incident affected consumer confidence in the safety of ground beef. Unlike other food processors, XL Foods does not own and manage brands. XL Foods are sold under brands owned by food distributors and retailers in Canada and the United States. A survey was conducted months after the recall to assess long-term implications. Results suggest consumers still trust the safety of ground beef. Results of this research will also further foster understanding consequences of recalls for food marketing and its effects on consumer behavior.

Table Scraps: An Evaluation of Plate Waste in Restaurants

The economic losses of Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea (PED) and the net benefits of strategies to control the virus are calculated for individual farrow-to-finish herds. A production simulation model that estimates the number of pigs by population cohorts on a weekly basis for a farrow-to-finish farm depending on production parameters is simulated under normal operating conditions and then with an outbreak of PED. The estimated annual costs of a PED outbreak with the closure of the breeding herd as the only intervention is approximately

Strengthening farmers-hotel supply chain relationships: a service management approach.

300,000 for a 700-sow farrow-to-finishing herd. The net returns per sow (hog) fall from

Tipped out: How do gratuities affect restaurant operations?

255 (

The Canadian Craft Beer Sector

11.54) to a loss of