Solutions to sustainably feeding the world must include reducing food waste, as one-third of food produced for humans is never eaten but lost, along with all of the resources consumed in producing and transporting that food. This book examines food loss and waste from farm to table, quantifying where and how much wastage occurs across the U.S. supply chain and the global implications of the problem. Leading experts from academia, government, industry, and NGOs discuss a wide range of issues including food loss in the industrial sector and how it is handled, characteristics of wasted food in restaurants and at homes, food recovery opportunities at various sectors of the supply chain, how food waste can be measured, what interventions are most effective, and how food marketing affects consumption and waste. This is a sourcebook for educators teaching in or outside of classrooms, for researchers endeavoring to gain insights from solid scientific data and analyses, and for a multitude of other food system stakeholders (e.g. sustainability officers, environmental advocates, hunger relief personnel, policy makers, and forward-thinking consumers etc.) seeking to advance constructive dialogue and policies for food waste reduction amid the larger context of global food security and sustainability.

Sustainable Food Supply Chains: Planning, Design, and Control through Interdisciplinary Methodologies provides integrated and practicable solutions that aid planners and entrepreneurs in the design and optimization of food production-distribution systems and operations and drives change toward sustainable food ecosystems. With synthesized coverage of the academic literature, this book integrates the quantitative models and tools that address each step of food supply chain operations to provide readers with easy access to support-decision quantitative and practicable methods. Broken into three parts, the book begins with an introduction and problem statement. The second part presents quantitative models and tools as an integrated framework for the food supply chain system and operations design. The book concludes with the presentation of case studies and applications focused on specific food chains. Sustainable Food Supply Chains: Planning, Design, and Control through Interdisciplinary Methodologies will be an indispensable resource for food scientists, practitioners and graduate students studying food systems and other related disciplines. - Contains quantitative models and tools that address the interconnected areas of the food supply chain - Synthesizes academic literature related to sustainable food supply chains - Deals with interdisciplinary fields of research (Industrial Systems Engineering, Food Science, Packaging Science, Decision Science, Logistics and Facility Management, Supply Chain Management, Agriculture and Land-use Planning) that dominate food supply chain systems and operations - Includes case studies and applications

Saving Food: Production, Supply Chain, Food Waste and Food Consumption presents the latest developments on food loss and waste. Emphasis is placed on global issues, the environmental impacts of food consumption and wasted food, wasted nutrients, raising awareness via collaborative networks and actions, the effect of food governance and policy in food losses, promotion of sustainable food consumption, food redistribution, optimizing agricultural practices, the concept of zero waste, food security and sustainable land management, optimizing food supply and cold chains, food safety in supply chain management, non-thermal food processing/preservation technologies, food waste prevention/reduction, food waste valorization and recovery. Intended to be a guide for all segments of the food industry aiming to adapt or further develop zero waste strategies, this book analyzes the problem of food waste from every angle and provides critical information on how to minimize waste. - Describes all aspects related to saving food and food security, including raising awareness, food redistribution actions, food policy and framework, food conservation, cold chain, food supply chain management, food waste reduction and valorization - Guides all segments of the industry on how to employ zero waste strategies - Analyzes key issues to create a pathway to solutions

Sustainable Food Waste-to-Energy Systems assesses the utilization of food waste in sustainable energy conversion systems. It explores all sources of waste generated in the food supply chain (downstream from agriculture), with coverage of industrial, commercial, institutional and residential sources. It provides a detailed analysis of the conventional pathways for food waste disposal and utilization, including composting, incineration, landfilling and wastewater treatment. Next, users will find valuable sections on the chemical, biochemical and thermochemical waste-to-energy conversion processes applicable for food waste and an assessment of commercially available sustainable food waste-to-energy conversion technologies. Sustainability aspects, including consideration of environmental, economic and social impacts are also explored. The book concludes with an analysis of how deploying waste-to-energy systems is dependent on cross-cutting research methods, including geographical information systems and big data. It is a useful resource for professionals working in waste-to-energy technologies, as well as those in the food industry and food waste management sector planning and implementing these systems, but is also ideal for researchers, graduate students, energy policymakers and energy analysts interested in the most recent advances in the field. - Provides guidance on how specific food waste characteristics drive possible waste-to-energy conversion processes - Presents methodologies for selecting among different waste-to-energy options, based on waste volumes, distribution and properties, local energy demand (electrical/thermal/steam), opportunities for industrial symbiosis, regulations and incentives and social acceptance, etc. - Contains tools to assess potential environmental and economic performance of deployed systems - Links to publicly available resources on food waste data for energy conversion

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 open access book provides insight into the implementation of Life Cycle approaches along the entire business value chain, supporting environmental, social and economic sustainability related to the development of industrial technologies, products, services and policies; and the development and management of smart agricultural systems, smart mobility systems, urban infrastructures and energy for the built environment. The book is based on papers presented at the 8th International Life Cycle Management Conference that took place from September 3-6, 2017 in Luxembourg, and which was organized by the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST) and the University of Luxembourg in the framework of the LCM Conference Series.

The world population is expected to increase exponentially within the next decade, which means that the food demand will increase and so will waste production. The increasing demand for food as well as changes in consumption habits have led to the greater availability and variety of food with a longer shelf life. However, there is a need for effective food waste management and food preservation as wasted food leads to overutilization of water and fossil fuels and increasing greenhouse gas emissions from the degradation of food. The Research Anthology on Food Waste Reduction and Alternative Diets for Food and Nutrition Security explores methods for reducing waste and cutting food loss in order to help the environment and support local communities as well as solve issues including that of land space. It also provides vital research on the development of plant-based foods, meat-alternative diets, and nutritional outcomes. Highlighting a range of topics such as agricultural production, food supply chains, and sustainable diets, this publication is an ideal reference source for policymakers, sustainable developers, politicians, ecologists, environmentalists, corporate executives, farmers, and academicians seeking current research on food and nutrition security.