Research pick: Food, sustainable food! - "Utilising the potential of circularity: novel strategies for minimising food loss and waste in the circular economy"

Policy reform and improved demand forecasting could be used to reduce global food loss and waste in a circular economy approach to the sector, according to findings in the International Journal of Sustainable Agricultural Management and Informatics. The paper is rather timely given how governments and industry are facing increasing pressure to reduce food waste and feed a growing world population sustainably.

It is estimated that about one-third of the food we produce is never consumed. This not only represents a significant waste of resources and a tragedy for those living with serious hunger, but it also amounts to an environmental catastrophe, as the resources to produce the food have been wasted in their production, and then the waste itself is a major environmental concern that will lead to increased carbon emissions if the waste is simply landfilled or burnt.

There are two main categories in this area: food loss, which occurs before products even reach consumers, damage during harvesting, transport, and processing and spoilage en route, and food waste, which refers to food discarded by food outlets and households. The IJSAMI study looks at how we might adopt a circular economy approach to food production to address these problems. In a circular economy, the conventional take-make-dispose model of production is turned around.

In this approach, the lifecycle of resources is extended, and maximum value is extracted. In addition a circular economy involves the recovery and regeneration of materials. In the food sector, this might involve reusing agricultural byproducts, recycling water, integrating renewable energy, and designing packaging to reduce environmental impact. It might also involve creating reverse flows in supply chains, whereby surplus or waste products are redirected into productive uses rather than simply being discarded.

The research discusses the various factors that might allow a circular economy to be used in various areas of the food sector. It highlights the need for new technological and operational measures to be put into place to improve water recycling in agriculture, the adoption of renewable energy sources, and the development of sustainable packaging materials that extend shelf life while minimising waste.

Agrawal, SK., Singh, S., Shukla, A. and Kandpal, B. (2026) ‘Utilising the potential of circularity: novel strategies for minimising food loss and waste in the circular economy’, Int. J. Sustainable Agricultural Management and Informatics, Vol. 12, No. 2, pp.135–163.