Search

Food Loss and Waste (FLW) has primarily focused on quantifying causes. This article organizes literature on FLW determinants and effects in restaurants, analyzing 80 articles from Scopus and Web of Science. Findings reveal FLW in restaurants, which is determined by consumer behavior, restaurant management, and public policies, has economic and environmental effects. The study emphasizes the importance of investing in employee training and policies promoting FLW reduction. It also underscores the need for educating consumers on responsible consumption. Implementing these measures will contribute to fostering sustainable and efficient food systems, minimizing the adverse effects of food waste. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global issue of Food Loss and Waste (FLW) is gaining increased attention from both academic and policy circles. This challenge is progressively spreading, particularly in less developed and developing nations. This article aims to address the FLW concern within grape cultivation, proposing solutions for repurposing leftover materials from the crop. The paper will depict the current understanding of FLW, outline the supply and value chain of grape crops, and conduct an intricate analysis of production quantities, imports, exports, and processing. The study draws from the IPSUS project's research, which explores techniques for reclaiming plant and seaweed proteins through recycling raw materials. Additionally, it will explore the potential for upcycling and assess the quantity and quality of FLW at various points along the value chain. To evaluate FLW in viticulture, an IoT system will measure environmental parameters like air temperature, humidity, soil moisture, and precipitation. These measurements will help estimate harvest quality and quantity, pivotal aspects within the context of food loss and waste. The outcomes of this research will underscore the significance of repurposing grape crops, opening novel avenues for agricultural advancement in Romania.

It has been estimated that one-third of global food is lost or wasted, entailing significant environmental, economic, and social costs. The scale and impact of food loss and waste (FLW) has attracted significant interest across sectors, leading to a relatively recent proliferation of publications. This article synthesizes existing knowledge in the literature with a focus on FLW measurement, drivers, and solutions. We apply the widely adopted DPSIR (Driver-Pressure-State-Impact-Response) framework to structure the review. Key takeaways include the following: Existing definitions of FLW are inconsistent and incomplete, significant data gaps remain (by food type, stage of supply chain, and region, especially for developing countries), FLW solutions focus more on proximate causes rather than larger systemic drivers, and effective responses to FLW will require complementary approaches and robust evaluation.

In this paper, surface tension and surface properties of binary mixtures containing alcohol (methanol and ethanol) ionic liquid (1-bptf, 1-b-3-mptf and 1-b-4-mptf)) have been determined using thermodynamics and theoretical methods at various temperatures (293.15-323.15) K. First, the surface tension and the surface tension deviation data over the whole mole fraction range are correlated by thermodynamic based models: Fu et al. (FLW) and Myers-Scott (MS), respectively, and then a new approach, the interaction energy between alcohol and ionic liquid (U12) has been calculated with the results of FLW model. The results show that at fixed temperatures in each system, the value of U21 increased by increasing the size of the ionic liquid cation. Second, the surface tension was predicted by using artificial neural network (ANN) method and the results were compared with thermodynamics method. On comparing the computed values of surface tension (by three methods of FLW, MS and ANN) with experimental data, satisfactory results have been observed (the mean relative standard deviations obtained from the comparison are less than 3.5%). However, among the applied methods, ANN shows the best agreement between the experimental and predicted data because it finds the best nonlinear relationship between the mole fraction and either surface tension or surface tension deviation. The results of this study provide useful information on the component interactions in the surface and the bulk phases.

One-third of food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted globally, which amounts to about 1.3 billion tons per year. An updated review of global food loss and waste (FLW) is presented, as well as the related environmental, social and economic impacts, based on existing data and peer-reviewed literature. The authors reflect on the different food waste patterns and challenges faced by diverse regions around the world. The scale of FLW throughout the food value chain is analyzed, from agricultural production down to household consumption and disposal. FLW represent a waste of resources used in each production stage, such as land, water and energy; FLW also contributes to unnecessary increase of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The environmental and socio-economic impacts of FLW are analyzed based on reviewed life cycle assessments. Providing insights into key concepts around FLW, this article highlights the scale of the problem at a global and regional level. It also reflects on the main challenges for implementing strategies to reduce FLW and the implications for policy-making.

Improving the cold chain system for perishable foods would both increase food safety by maintaining quality and reduce business operation costs by minimizing food loss from inappropriate management. This has led to various attempts to apply blockchain technology (BCT) to the food cold chain, such as IBM's FoodTrust and Alibaba's Food Trust Frameworks. This system is expected to guarantee food traceability and sustainability. In this research, we focused on the importance of maritime and aviation transportation in the entire supply chain, and we established the BCT-based beef cold chain system, which includes the reefer chain. Specifically, we raised the monitoring and physical infrastructure issues at the port (or airport) and maritime (aviation) transportation node and took these into consideration. Additionally, we conducted scenario analysis to investigate the effects of the suggested system. The amount of food losses and the associated greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are calculated by different scenarios in accordance with the recall recovery time and node where a recall occurrence is recognized. For both import and export models, when the proposed BCT-based beef cold chain platform is applied, the number of discarded reefer containers and the associated GHG emissions go down by 42.1% and 21.8%, respectively. Interestingly, when we assumed the recall recognition stage was right after the defects occur, the largest effects of improving performance of the proposed platform were 48.3% in import (IM) node of the port level. These results will provide a needed solution for cold chain management at the government level and affirms the essential role of the port/airport in the cold chain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Food Loss and Waste (FLW) that entail substantial economic, environmental, and social cost is of great concern for a country fulfilling > 80% of food demands through the import of agricultural commodities. The current study mainly aimed at bringing together a wide range of perspectives on FLW by multi-stakeholder engagement in order to enhance cooperation and network building with respect to sharing knowledge and experiences on FLW prevention activities along the entire food supply chain for a country located at the geographic frontier facing stubborn challenges of desertification, water scarcity, and harsh climatic conditions. These challenges are not only being addressed at the national level but have also been made the focus of multilateral activities in 2020 as part of the Saudi G20 Presidency. The Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture under the umbrella of the G20 Meeting of Agricultural Chief Scientists (MACS) hosted a regional workshop on FLW in collaboration with the Thünen Institute, Germany, to raise awareness among Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. The present paper provides insights into the current status of FLW by revealing that, overall, 33.1% of the total available food in the Kingdom is lost and wasted during the entire food supply chain. Overall, the GCC countries witnessed higher percentages of food waste compared with food losses. Environmental conditions prevailing in the region necessitate the development of adequate and appropriate cold chain storage facilities for balanced distribution through cold storage transportation facilities along the food supply chain to minimize food losses. However, campaigns and activities to raise awareness with a view of changing attitudes towards reducing FLW by the adoption of good practices, promoting the concept of circular economy practices, and the establishment of food banks for surplus food redistribution are important to mitigate FLW in the Kingdom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A recombinant inbred line (RIL) population bred from a cross between a javanica type (cv. D50) and an indica type (cv. HB277) rice was used to map seven quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for thousand grain weight (TGW). The loci were distributed on chromosomes 2, 3, 5, 6, 8 and 10. The chromosome 3 QTL qTGW3.2 was stably expressed over two years, and contributed 9-10% of the phenotypic variance. A residual heterozygous line (RHL) was selected from the RIL population and its selfed progeny was used to fine map qTGW3.2. In this "F2" population, the QTL explained about 23% of the variance, rising to nearly 33% in the subsequent "F2:3" generation. The physical location of qTGW3.2 was confined to a ~556 kb region flanked by the microsatellite loci RM16162 and RM16194. The region also contains other factors influencing certain yield-related traits, although it is also possible that qTGW3.2 affects these in a pleiotropic fashion., (Crown Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)