Technologies and Models to Unpack, Manage Inventory and Track Wasted Food towards Sustainability

Dear Colleagues,

Statistics of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) indicate that roughly one-third of food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted globally, which equates to approximately 1.3 billion metric tons per year (FAO, 2011). Such a large amount of food waste provokes environmental and social burdens, such as social structure problems, overexploitation of land, economic ills, food security issues, greenhouse gas emissions, and unequal global food distribution (Godfray et al., 2010). Moreover, the quantity of food waste is projected to reach more than twice the current amount by 2050; at the same time, the demand for food worldwide is expected to increase annually due to population rise (Hic et al., 2016). Moreover, it is important to highlight that food waste may include edible items (Buzby & Hyman 2012), and that, even when inedible, food waste could be effectively used in energy generation or composting instead of being disposed of in landfill sites (Nahman & de Lange 2013). Recently, an interesting analysis was performed showing the industrial feasibility and environmental impact of existing integrated biorefineries, which treat food waste in order to produce value-added products (Caldeira et al, 2020). Apart from the abovementioned applications, many other options could emerge from new research activities in this field.

These aspects have led to the recent definition of a “sustainable food system” by HLPE (2014) as a system which is able to ensure the positive outcomes of food production and food security now and for future generations. The original concept of sustainability includes a time dimension, which means that the functioning of a “sustainable food system” (SFS) should not undermine the economic, social, and environmental basis that grounds food security of current and future generations, but rather contribute to enhancing it. In doing this, the three dimensions of sustainability interact with the four dimensions of food security (availability, access, utilization, and stability).

Designing and implementing a SFS requires a global perspective. First, new technologies are required at different levels of the system. In the first stages of the system, agriculture can benefit from new technologies that make it possible to increase the production and reduce the associated waste. During transport and storage, suitable technologies for post-harvest and cold chain management could enable the supply chain actors to significantly extend the shelf life and marketing period for perishable foods. In retailing, appropriate technologies and equipment are required for collecting the expired food, unpacking it, and possibly diverting it to a channel other than disposal in landfill. Technologies that help to improve the matching of supply and demand, and enable the tracking of loss and waste (e.g., blockchain) are expected to save an estimated $2 billion in food waste over the next five years (Wolfson, 2019; ADEME, 2016). The economic and environmental aspects of a SFS should also be evaluated in line with the definition of sustainability. Life cycle analysis is typically used as a methodology for evaluating the “end-of-life” component of food, with the impact of different treatments (e.g., composting, digestion, and landfill of household and/or industrial food/organic waste) or of the usage of new technologies on food waste. Technologies and models to unpack, manage inventory, and track wasted food are thus fundamental to meet this specific issue in order to enhance the sustainability of the whole food supply chain.

In line with this premise, the aim of this Special Issue is to attract research focused on the wide theme of sustainable food systems, with particular attention paid to the role of technologies that can be applied at the different levels of a food supply chain in order to enhance its sustainability performance. We are confident that this topic will capture a variety of contributions, as it is timely and relevant in modern business environments.

References

FAO (2011). Global Food Losses and Food Waste—Extent, Causes and Prevention. Available online at http://www.fao.org/3/a-i2697e.pdf .

Godfray, H.C.J.; Beddington, J.R.; Crute, I.R.; Haddad, L.; Lawrence, D.; Muir, J.F.; Toulmin, C. (2010). Food security: The challenge of feeding 9 billion people. Science, 327, 812–818.

Hic, C.; Pradhan, P.; Rybski, D.; Kropp, J.P. (2016). Food surplus and its climate burdens. Environmental Science and Technology, 50, 4269–4277.

Buzby, J., Hyman, J. (2012). Total and Per Capita Value of Food Loss in the United States. Food Policy, 37, 561–570.

Nahman, A., de Lange, W. (2013). Costs of Food Waste Along the Value Chain: Evidence from South Africa. Waste Management, 33, 2493–2500.

Caldeira, C., Vlysidis, A., Fiore, G., De Laurentiis, V., Vignali, G., Sala, S., (2020). Sustainability of food waste biorefinery: A review on valorisation pathways, techno-economic constraints, and environmental assessment, Bioresource Technology, 312, 123575, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2020.123575.

HLPE (2014). Food losses and waste in the context of sustainable food systems. Available online at http://www.fao.org/3/a-i3901e.pdf.

ADEME (2016). Food losses and waste - inventory and management at each stage in the food chain. Available online at www.ademe.fr/mediatheque.

Wolfson, R. (2019). Forbes. Albertsons Joins IBM Food Trust Blockchain Network to Track Romaine Lettuce from Farm to Store. Available online at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/rachelwolfson/2019/04/11/albertsonsjoins-ibm-food-trust-blockchain-network-to-track-romaine-lettuce-from-farm-to-store/#160bb7c16219.

Prof. Dr. Eleonora Bottani
Prof. Dr. Giuseppe Vignali
Guest Editors

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• Sustainability
• life cycle assessment
• industrial plants
• food waste
• inventory
• tracking and tracing