From kitchen scraps to delicacies to food waste

Abstract

Food loss and waste occur along the whole food supply chain. The perceptions of food waste and how it is used have changed over time. Prior to and during WWII, household food scraps and leftovers were reused and even upgraded into delicacies which are still valued even today. Currently about one third of food produced for human consumption is wasted and this accounts for a carbon and water footprint of 4.4 giga tons of CO₂ equivalents and 250 km³ of blue water, respectively. In addition, food waste is responsible for significant wastage of land used for agriculture and 3.3 billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions. Consumer food waste is a major source of the current food waste crisis. As consumer behavior is a key driver of food waste, strategies for reduction and avoidance of waste should appeal to consumers' individual values. Ways to prevent food waste, reuse and upscale recycling and recovery are reviewed. The potential of using waste for future food preparation, food waste avoidance tools and technologies are presented. Urgent action is needed for implementation of waste reduction interventions and more efficient food redistribution systems to improve food security and sustainability.