Research pick: Waste not, want not - "Reducing environmental pressures produced by household food waste: initiatives and policy challenges"

Research published in the International Journal of Environment and Sustainable Development has looked at the environmental impact of food waste on natural resources, primarily water, land, and energy. The work focused on the Metropolitan District of Quito in Ecuador.

The researchers hoped to understand the environmental consequences of domestic food waste. The ultimate aim is to develop initiatives that could reduce food waste and policies that could be implemented in the product supply chain. Sustainability is increasingly important at the local and national levels and in the global arena. The new study offers insights into how sustainable development goals might be achieved and acknowledges the importance of the growing problem of food waste in developing countries, within the context of disparate socio-economic and environmental factors.

There are interesting connections between social and demographic factors and food waste uncovered by the study. The team found, for instance, that individuals with a higher level of education were prone to wasting more food than those of a lower educational background. However, there was no correlation between food waste and factors such as urban or rural residence, family size, or even the age of members of a household. The quantitative work focused on food waste associated with fresh vegetable, rice, and potato consumption. Vegetables and rice led to the generation of far more waste than potatoes, it was discovered, although waste from any source had a significant impact on energy, water, and land footprints.

The findings could offer guidance for policy development to enhance food security for vulnerable populations and simultaneously reduce the pressure on natural resources. The picture of food waste and food security is not wholly clear despite the research and food waste associated with bread consumption, for instance, represents a complex multifactorial aspect of the overall picture. As such, there is a need to understand such complexities in the wider context of food consumption and waste.

There is also a need to understand the economic well-being of small rural farmers and how food waste might be reduced. To guide any initiatives or policies, there is a pressing need to establish a baseline for quantifying food waste and to ensure that policies are based on accurate data so that they have minimal detrimental impact on food producers and vulnerable consumers and at the same time nudge better-educated consumers to consider a more sustainable approach to their eating habits.

Oña-Serrano, X., Viteri-Salazar, O., Cadillo Benalcazar, J.J., Buenaño Guerra, X. and Quelal-Vásconez, M.A. (2023) ‘Reducing environmental pressures produced by household food waste: initiatives and policy challenges’, Int. J. Environment and Sustainable Development, Vol. 22, No. 4, pp.463–490.