This book focuses on the crucial sustainability challenge of reducing food waste at the level of consumer-society. Providing an in-depth, research-based overview of the multifaceted problem, it considers environmental, economic, social and ethical factors. Perspectives included in the book address households, consumers, and organizations, and their role in reducing food waste. Rather than focusing upon the reasons for food waste itself, the chapters develop research-based solutions for the problem, providing a much-needed solution-orientated approach that takes multiple perspectives into account. Chapters 1, 2, 12 and 16 of this book are available open access under a CC BY 4.0 license at link.springer.com

Approximately 30 percent of the edible food produced in the United States is wasted and a significant portion of this waste occurs at the consumer level. Despite food's essential role as a source of nutrients and energy and its emotional and cultural importance, U.S. consumers waste an estimated average of 1 pound of food per person per day at home and in places where they buy and consume food away from home. Many factors contribute to this wasteâ€"consumers behaviors are shaped not only by individual and interpersonal factors but also by influences within the food system, such as policies, food marketing and the media. Some food waste is unavoidable, and there is substantial variation in how food waste and its impacts are defined and measured. But there is no doubt that the consequences of food waste are severe: the wasting of food is costly to consumers, depletes natural resources, and degrades the environment. In addition, at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic has severely strained the U.S. economy and sharply increased food insecurity, it is predicted that food waste will worsen in the short term because of both supply chain disruptions and the closures of food businesses that affect the way people eat and the types of food they can afford. A National Strategy to Reduce Food Waste at the Consumer Level identifies strategies for changing consumer behavior, considering interactions and feedbacks within the food system. It explores the reasons food is wasted in the United States, including the characteristics of the complex systems through which food is produced, marketed, and sold, as well as the many other interconnected influences on consumers' conscious and unconscious choices about purchasing, preparing, consuming, storing, and discarding food. This report presents a strategy for addressing the challenge of reducing food waste at the consumer level from a holistic, systems perspective.

This work presents the findings of an extensive study on the state-of-the-art regarding the problem of food waste in Belarus, Estonia, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Sweden. The results show that the problem of food waste can be found at different levels in each country and that our knowledge of it is limited by the current lack of studies in the area. The problem is primarily due to food waste generated by the manufacturing sector, mostly in the form of unused or inefficiently used by-products, as well as on a share of food thrown away by households that is still suitable for human consumption. The main reduction/prevention method, applied across the countries, is food donation; the remaining methods are the same ones used for biodegradable waste in the respective countries. The findings gathered in this study show a number of potential measures/methods for sustainable food waste management, which may be considered in future works in order to reduce the amounts of food waste generated in each of the aforementioned countries.

This book provides the first systematic and accessible text for students of hospitality and the culinary arts that directly addresses how more sustainable restaurants and commercial food services can be achieved. Food systems receive growing attention because they link various sustainability dimensions. Restaurants are at the heart of these developments, and their decisions to purchase regional foods, or to prepare menus that are healthier and less environmentally problematic, have great influence on food production processes. This book is systematically designed around understanding the inputs and outputs of the commercial kitchen as well as what happens in the restaurant from the perspective of operators, staff and the consumer. The book considers different management approaches and further looks at the role of restaurants, chefs and staff in the wider community and the positive contributions that commercial kitchens can make to promoting sustainable food ways. Case studies from all over the world illustrate the tools and techniques helping to meet environmental and economic bottom lines. This will be essential reading for all students of hospitality and the culinary arts.

This introductory textbook provides a thorough guide to the management of food and beverage outlets, from their day-to-day running through to the wider concerns of the hospitality industry. It explores the broad range of subject areas that encompass the food and beverage market and its five main sectors – fast food and popular catering, hotels and quality restaurants and functional, industrial, and welfare catering. New to this edition are case studies covering the latest industry developments, and coverage of contemporary environmental concerns, such as sourcing, sustainability and responsible farming. It is illustrated in full colour and contains end-of-chapter summaries and revision questions to test your knowledge as you progress. Written by authors with many years of industry practice and teaching experience, this book is the ideal guide to the subject for hospitality students and industry practitioners alike.

This book presents what is the state-of-the-art in the field of the food waste phenomenon at consumer level, including a thorough literature review, and it highlights trends in the field. It provides a comprehensive starting point for future research. Food waste represents a major public policy issue, which is included in the UN Sustainable Development Goals. In this context, the present work identifies the most important definitions given to food waste and its environmental, social and economic impacts. With a comprehensive literature review that covers a forty-year time span (1977-2017), this book highlights the multiple, complex facets of food waste at the consumer level. Drawing from behavioural and marketing theories, it proposes a new theoretical framework with the aim to better explain food waste behaviour. Extensive research is being carried out on the main worldwide initiatives (both public and private) and food policies aimed at tackling the phenomenon.