ABSTRACT
We discard an estimated one-third of all food produced for human consumption, with significant social, environmental and economic consequences (Gustavsson et al. 2011). Food waste threatens global food security, and reducing food waste is vital to addressing malnutrition (Godfray et al. 2010). Food waste also contributes to climate change: it produces methane in landfills, and agriculture is a large source of greenhouse gas emissions. Venkat (2012) estimated that in 2009, avoidable food waste in the United States of America was worth USD 200 billion and accounted for 113 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent per year, or 2 percent of net national greenhouse gas emissions. Sixty-nine percent occurred in production and processing, 6 percent in packing, 12 percent in distribution and retail, and 14 percent from disposal. Rapid urbanization in the developing world will exacerbate these costs (Adhikari et al. 2009), and inadequate waste infrastructure is expected to worsen local pollution and threaten public health (Wilson et al. 2012). To avoid these impacts, further research is required to understand the drivers of food waste and to support improved management and policies.
