Funded under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), Mission 4 Component 2 Investment 1.3, Theme 10.
Published: May 12, 2023
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Food loss and waste represent two major challenges to the endurance of the food system, whose current fragmentation is generating food insecurity for two billion people at the global level. About one-third of all food produced remains unsold, either lost or wasted at some point along the supply chain that goes from production to our tables.
When talking about food loss and waste, we generally refer to a decrease in the quantity and quality of edible food intended for human nutrition. Food loss tends to occur in the initial stages of the process, being mainly caused by problems related to food production and distribution systems or the political-institutional context of reference, whereas food waste implies the elimination of food that could still be useful for human nutrition both in the sales and final consumption stages.
FAO has already highlighted the seriousness of the food waste issue in its Food Loss Index (2019), showing that 14% of all food produced does not reach the retail stage and is wasted along the previous levels of the supply chain, for an overall value of about $1 trillion.
Two years after this important FAO publication, the Food Waste Index developed by UN Environment in 2021 indicated that around 931 million tonnes of food waste were generated in 2019, 61% of which came from households, 26% from catering services and 13% from retail.
Looking at the 2021 report published by WWF and Tesco "Driven to Waste: Global Food Loss on Farms", food loss figures would be even more concerning: according to this research, up to 2.5 billion tons of food are lost or wasted every year, an estimate that would suggest that up to 40% of all the food produced may not be consumed (the figure is even higher than the previous percentage of about 30%). Moreover, such a high amount of wasted food would be responsible for generating around 10% of all the global greenhouse gas emissions.
Food loss and waste figures are therefore exorbitant, not only due to the huge economic loss they imply but also due to the significant impact they have on environmental sustainability and food security.
It is therefore clear that the prevention of food loss and waste on a global scale is essential to reduce environmental damage and the loss of biodiversity, as well as to increase food accessibility for populations that are currently lacking enough to eat.
The United Nations 2030 Agenda takes into account the objectives and possible actions aimed at reducing food waste in Target 12.3, which recommends global food waste per capita to be halved by 2023 and food losses along the production chains to be reduced, including post-harvest product losses.
The commitment to achieving this target on the UN agenda implies positive repercussions also for the fulfilment of Goal 2: "Zero Hunger", which calls out for the end of hunger and wishes for food security, improved nutrition and the promotion of sustainable agriculture models.
In order to limit food waste, it is necessary to implement effective industrial strategies that involve all players in the food chain, ranging from lower waste generation to the promotion of co-products and by-products, up to the improvement of waste and industrial by-products management.
Furthermore, the issue of food waste is growing increasingly relevant not only on political and industrial agendas but also among public opinions, in light of the strongly negative moral connotation it implies: indeed, wasting food also entails the waste of resources used to produce it and the generation of harmful emissions without any purpose.
Spoke 02 of the OnFoods project for food loss and waste reduction.
The transition to circular economy models has grown to become a necessary precondition to reduce food waste and promote the sustainability of food-related systems, all the while ensuring long-term economic and social resilience.
The ultimate goal of any circular economy approach is to generate added value through the reuse, renewal and recycling of existing materials and products, as opposed to the traditional linear model of "extract, produce, use and dispose of it".
In a circular food economy, activities carried out at all levels of the value chain seek to completely eliminate waste. This approach generates benefits both for the environment and for the economy, as it allows the conservation of raw material sources and a lower environmental impact during production and consumption processes.
In the coming three years of the OnFoods project, the players involved in the activities of Spoke 02 (Smart and circular food system and distribution), will produce research and innovation activities on the vast topic of circular economy, moving along three main work paths: 1) new technologies for the recovery of wasted food, 2) new technologies for waste reduction and 3) new digital tools for waste management and reduction.
Work package 2.4 for food logistics and distribution sustainability.
As stated above, the reduction of food losses and waste along the food supply chain stands out as a relevant step to achieving lower impacts on the environment, on the income of all players within the chain and, ultimately, on food security.
However, due to the complexity and length of said supply chains, an integrated approach is definitely essential, and it requires investments in efficient technologies, adequate packaging and infrastructure, as well as extensive training and awareness-raising campaigns among both chain players and consumers.
The Work Package 2.4 of Spoke 02 is specifically dedicated to the search for new innovative and sustainable solutions for logistics and distribution.
One of the focus areas of work package 2.4, specifically addressed in task 2.4.1, is the development of sustainable logistics strategies, practices and actions. The goal is to identify the most critical aspects of current logistics solutions, with reference to different areas such as network design, transport, warehouse management and technological innovation, exploring the adoption of more sustainable options in those fields.
SOL-SUSTLOG research project
New solutions for sustainable logistics in food supply chains
SOL-SUSTLOG is the acronym of one of the "flagship" research projects of OnFoods' Spoke 02. The project, whose full name is "New solutions for sustainable logistics in food supply chains", falls right under the activities of work package 2.4 and, more specifically, of task 2.4.1, which involves sustainable logistics in the food supply chain.
During its 36 months of activities, SOL-SUSTLOG aims to identify and classify the main sustainable logistics strategies, practices and actions that companies in the food sector can adopt with regard to different aspects, such as network design, transport, warehouse management and digital innovation (paradigm 4.0).
The researchers involved in the project will make use of different sources to collect their data. They will refer to the existing scientific literature, consult secondary sources (for example the websites of logistic companies themselves, their sustainability reports, sector-specific studies) and interview firms and logistics operators from the food sector to gather more information for their case studies.
The surveyed solutions will then be classified and analysed, while their impact will be assessed by developing and implementing specific evaluation models, focusing on the most promising solutions.
Based on the results obtained, SOL-SUSTLOG plans to develop a set of guidelines for the implementation of sustainable practices in logistics, along with a dashboard showing the main KPIs influenced by these solutions.
Speaking of sustainability in the food sector, it would be important yet not sufficient to limit ourselves to environmental issues alone. Indeed, consumers not only have ever-increasing expectations in terms of environmental sustainability but also as for food safety, a crucial aspect for which logistics can play an essential role.
"The issue of environmental sustainability, especially in the food sector, is increasingly drawing the attention of firms and consumers alike. Logistics, which is responsible for distribution along the entire food chain, is a key factor in achieving environmental sustainability goals. Speaking of logistics, especially those logistical solutions that can be adopted to improve environmental sustainability, one could refer to a huge variety of aspects, such as the network structure, transport, warehouse management, or the use of specific digital technologies. Each of these, in a different way and to a different extent, has an impact on the environmental performance of a company, be it a manufacturer, a distributor or a logistics operator. Albeit different solutions have been adopted over time, there is certainly still a lot to do. We will start by understanding which logistical solutions and practices have been evaluated and implemented (or not implemented) over the years by food sector operators. Then, we will classify and estimate the impact of the most promising solutions, with the ultimate goal of providing the players in this sector with a set of guidelines to make their logistics more sustainable with lower environmental impact." Angela Tumino and Chiara Siragusa
This blog post is related to
Smart and circular food system and distribution
To valorize food waste and smart and virtuous logistics
Lead organisation
Spoke leaderAntonio Moretti
Research projectSOL-SUSTLOG
New solutions for sustainable logistics in food supply chains
Principal investigators
Angela Tumino,
Referred to
Spoke 02