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Food Waste and Circular Economy: Challenges and Opportunities—Second Edition
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Food Waste and Circular Economy: Challenges and Opportunities—Second Edition

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Food".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2025 | Viewed by 6522

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Taghi Miri

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Chemical Engineering, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B152 TT, UK
Interests: plant-based food processing and safety; future food process and safety challenges of food reformulation; novel food processing to enhance the safety and shelf life of food; circular economy; food waste valorization; bioprocessing for environmental engineering
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Helen Onyeaka

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Chemical Engineering, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B152 TT, UK
Interests: food microbiology; food safety; sustainability; food systems; public health; food waste management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The existing linear model of food production and consumption contributes significantly to food waste and the degradation of natural resources such as land, water, and soil. Recently, there has been a growing global movement to develop circular economy (CE) frameworks across various sectors, including food.

The circular economy is a systems-based approach that aims to eliminate waste and minimize the use of virgin resources by keeping materials and products in use for as long as possible through sustainable practices such as reuse, repair, refurbishing, and recycling. In the context of the food system, a true circular economy cannot be achieved merely by introducing recycling or recovery operations at the end of the supply chain. Instead, a holistic and transformative approach is urgently needed across the entire food value chain—from production, processing, distribution, and consumption to waste management.

This Special Issue aims to promote research on food sustainability and the circular economy, exploring new directions and innovative solutions. We invite manuscripts that critically examine how digital technologies, advanced scientific innovations, and systemic changes can enable circularity in the food system. Potential topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Redesigning food systems based on circular economy principles, such as regenerative agriculture, closed-loop production, and sustainable sourcing.
  • Valorisation, recovery, and reuse of food waste and by-products through innovative technologies and business models.
  • Life cycle assessment-driven strategies for minimizing food waste and maximizing resource efficiency across the entire food value chain.
  • The role of AI, digital infrastructure, data-driven decision-making, and Industry 4.0 technologies in enabling the circular economy in the food sector.

By exploring these topics, we aim to contribute to the development of a truly sustainable and circular food system that addresses the pressing challenges of food waste, resource depletion, and environmental degradation.

Dr. Taghi Miri
Dr. Helen Onyeaka
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • sustainability
  • food waste
  • circular economy
  • innovation

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 3317 KiB  
Article
Neural Network for AI-Driven Prediction of Larval Protein Yield: Establishing the Protein Conversion Index (PCI) for Sustainable Insect Farming
by Claudia L. Vargas-Serna, Angie N. Pineda-Osorio, Carlos A. Gomez-Velasco, Jose Luis Plaza-Dorado and Claudia I. Ochoa-Martinez
Sustainability 2025, 17(2), 652; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17020652 - 16 Jan 2025
Viewed by 901
Abstract
The predictive capabilities of artificial intelligence for predicting protein yield from larval biomass present valuable advancements for sustainable insect farming, an increasingly relevant alternative protein source. This study develops a neural network model to predict protein conversion efficiency based on the nutritional composition [...] Read more.
The predictive capabilities of artificial intelligence for predicting protein yield from larval biomass present valuable advancements for sustainable insect farming, an increasingly relevant alternative protein source. This study develops a neural network model to predict protein conversion efficiency based on the nutritional composition of larval feed. The model utilizes a structured two-layer neural network with four neurons in each hidden layer and one output neuron, employing logistic sigmoid functions in the hidden layers and a linear function in the output layer. Training is performed via Bayesian regularization backpropagation to minimize mean squared error, resulting in a high regression coefficient (R = 0.9973) and a low mean-squared error (MSE = 0.0072401), confirming the precision of the model in estimating protein yields. This AI-driven approach serves as a robust tool for predicting larval protein yields, enhancing resource efficiency and promoting sustainability in insect-based protein production. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food Waste and Circular Economy: Challenges and Opportunities—Second Edition)
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24 pages, 9194 KiB  
Article
Life Cycle Assessment of Plant-Based vs. Beef Burgers: A Case Study in the UK
by Meshach Tang, Taghi Miri, Fakhteh Soltani, Helen Onyeaka and Zainab T. Al-Sharify
Sustainability 2024, 16(11), 4417; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16114417 - 23 May 2024
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 4759
Abstract
As the world attempts to decarbonise the food industry and limit greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, plant-based meat analogues (PBMAs) have emerged as a sustainable alternative to traditional meat. The objective of this study is to assess the environmental impacts of PBMAs compared to [...] Read more.
As the world attempts to decarbonise the food industry and limit greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, plant-based meat analogues (PBMAs) have emerged as a sustainable alternative to traditional meat. The objective of this study is to assess the environmental impacts of PBMAs compared to traditional beef burgers, aiming to address the research gap in the life cycle assessments (LCAs) of publicly available PBMA recipes. Utilising a cradle-to-fork system boundary, this research conducted a rigorous LCA on a 100 g plant-based burger patty and its beef burger (BB) counterpart, each produced in the UK but sourced from different global locations. The results demonstrated that the plant-based burger had significantly lower environmental impacts across several categories, including a 65% reduction in global warming potential and a 45% reduction in water consumption. A simple extrapolation illustrated that if the UK population switched from beef to meat analogue patties, 3 million tonnes of CO2e could be saved annually, corresponding to 0.74% of the country’s yearly territorial GHG emissions. Scenario analyses displayed how the environmental impact of the MA patty remained stable regardless of changes in exportation, ingredient origin or soy protein sourcing. Moreover, a sensitivity analysis conducted with an alternative characterisation method corroborated the initial findings, whilst uncertainty analysis ensured that nearly all of the conclusions generated from the original comparison were robust. Future studies should conduct LCAs on PBMA patties with commercial recipes using varied plant-based sources, as well as fully understanding any potential health implications of long-term PBMA consumption. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food Waste and Circular Economy: Challenges and Opportunities—Second Edition)
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