Food waste is a pressing concern globally. In the EU alone, approximately 88 million tons of food are discarded each year across all stages of production and consumption. This wastage negatively affects the economy, society, and the environment. To combat these issues, a collaborative approach between stakeholders in the food supply chain and humanitarian organizations is proposed to reduce food waste and food losses and optimize resource use.
By diverting edible food from going to waste and redirecting it to vulnerable populations, collaborative efforts can play a pivotal role in addressing food insecurity and hunger. This redistribution of surplus food ensures that essential sustenance reaches those who struggle to access nutritious meals, ultimately improving their health and well-being. Moreover, during times of crisis or emergencies, such initiatives enhance societal resilience. Collaborations between food producers, distributors, retailers, consumers, and humanitarian organizations can lead to a more efficient and coordinated food supply chain. Such partnerships foster innovative approaches for handling and redistributing surplus food, optimizing resource utilization, and minimizing wastage. The establishment of these connections enhances overall resource efficiency within the food system.
Another important aspect is the environmental impact. Food waste in landfills generates methane, a potent greenhouse gas contributing significantly to climate change. Collaborative efforts effectively reduce greenhouse gas emissions by diverting food from landfills and redirecting it to donation activities. Consequently, these endeavors support global initiatives to combat climate change and promote environmental sustainability.
Addressing the multifaceted issue of food waste requires a collective and collaborative approach involving all stakeholders along the food supply chain.
Our research indicates that providing targeted training could have significant benefits in addressing the issue of food waste across the Food Supply Chain. This includes recognizing the environmental impact of wasted food, understanding factors that contribute to food loss, identifying solutions to mitigate waste, and developing operational strategies to reduce food loss, including donation initiatives. It’s important to remember that food waste is not only a practical issue but also a moral one, as nearly 12% of the global population suffers from hunger. Considering the logistical challenges that contribute to food loss and exploring digital technologies as potential solutions are also important aspects to consider. Based on the answers in the Food Rescue Assessment, it can be stated that the most frequently used difficulty in the food donation process is the lack of a coordinated system – there is no common platform where both actors, the food donator companies (restaurants, supermarkets, hotels, cafes) on one hand, and charities/NGOs/municipalities could communicate with each other.
Another problem is the hectic nature of the whole process. The quantities of surplus portions are unpredictable, and ad hoc reactions are needed. These ad hoc decisions are affecting also the extra work that the employees have to do in connection with the surplus food donation. Once the donation becomes a routine, companies must have rescheduled/adapt workflows for employees involved in the food donation process. Other problems are lack of infrastructure (storage, transportation means), lack of time, lack of personnel, bureaucracy, complex regulatory obligations, and weather issues.
The most common reasons for food surplus during food preparation are production overruns, miscalculations, quality control, and human error. These factors indicate a lack of planning, coordination, and accuracy in the food preparation process. On how to ensure compliance with relevant regulations and standards related to food donation and distribution, some conclusions are as follows:
- Familiarity with local, state, and community regulations and guidelines is the most common and important practice among food donors and recipients.
- Developing policies and procedures to ensure compliance is also a widely adopted measure, particularly for large-scale food donation operations.
- Providing staff training on the storage and handling of donated food is a key aspect of ensuring food safety and quality throughout the food donation chain.
To effectively handle food donations, a form of support is necessary, such as additional information, training, or increased awareness. It has been expressed that there is a clear need for this support, as there may be gaps in knowledge or skills when it comes to managing food donations.
The Res-Food project will develop different results aiming to:
- Provide training and awareness to all actors that are engaged from food production to food consumption to acquire skills for assessing food loss and food waste, designing prevention measures (including policies, procedures, strategies, etc.), and monitoring the effectiveness of these measures. This will help organizations along the food supply chain to reduce their overall food loss and food waste quantities.
- Bridge companies from all the supply chain sectors that potentially generate surplus food with humanitarian actors (NGOs, Parishes, Municipal Actors, etc.) that have established food donation activities in place and could redistribute excess food quantities for human consumption to needy individuals (dependent on the social welfare system, long-term unemployed, poor people, homeless, in debt or with serious financial problems). Employees or engaged individuals (e.g. volunteers).
- Provide training to humanitarian organizations in obtaining surplus food and establishing guidelines for safe food donations. By equipping these organizations with the knowledge and skills to efficiently connect with various actors along the food supply chain, they can effectively access and redistribute surplus food to those in need. Additionally, establishing clear guidelines for safe food donations ensures that the donated food is of high quality and safe for consumption, promoting public health and preventing potential risks. Through these measures, humanitarian organizations can play a vital role in mitigating the negative impacts of food waste on the economy, society, and the environment, while also providing vital support to vulnerable populations, contributing to a more sustainable and compassionate food system.
The ReS-Food Methodological Framework is the second output of the RES-FOOD project. It is based on a three-dimensional step-by-step methodology built to manage the food rescue chain end-2-end. In the context of a three-dimensional methodology (food supplier-charity-those in need) for managing the food rescue chain end-to-end, framework will include:
- assessing locations and infrastructure involved in the food rescue process (considerations of distances, transportation routes, and storage facilities, etc),
- assessing the timing and scheduling aspects of the food rescue chain (food availability, timing of collection and distribution, etc),
- coordination, communication, and partnerships among various stakeholders in the food rescue process.
The following ReS-Food Methodological Framework dimensions will assist the companies/organizations to optimize generating food loss and waste as well as the humanitarian actors distributing donated food.
The main goals of the ReS-Food Methodological Framework are to approach to identify, communicate purpose, and select surplus food producers, define quality acceptance criteria per food category, and provide logistical support requirements for food collection and distribution.