Title
Food waste management during the COVID-19 outbreak: a holistic climate, economic and nutritional approach
Date Issued
10 November 2020
Access level
open access
Resource Type
journal article
Author(s)
Aldaco R.
Hoehn D.
Laso J.
Margallo M.
Ruiz-Salmón J.
Cristobal J.
Bala A.
Batlle-Bayer L.
Fullana-i-Palmer P.
Irabien A.
Universidad de Vigo
Publisher(s)
Elsevier B.V.
Abstract
Improving the food supply chain efficiency has been identified as an essential means to enhance food security, while reducing pressure on natural resources. Adequate food loss and waste (FLW) management has been proposed as an approach to meet these objectives. The main hypothesis of this study is to consider that the “strong fluctuations and short-term changes” on eating habits may have major consequences on potential FLW generation and management, as well as on GHG emissions, all taking into account the nutritional and the economic cost. Due to the exceptional lockdown measures imposed by the Spanish government, as a consequence of the emerging coronavirus disease, COVID-19, food production and consumption systems have undergone significant changes, which must be properly studied in order to propose strategies from the lessons learned. Taking Spain as a case study, the methodological approach included a deep analysis of the inputs and outputs of the Spanish food basket, the supply chain by means of a Material Flow Analysis, as well as an economic and comprehensive nutritional assessment, all under a life cycle thinking approach. The results reveal that during the first weeks of the COVID-19 lockdown, there was no significant adjustment in overall FLW generation, but a partial reallocation from extra-domestic consumption to households occurred (12% increase in household FLW). Moreover, the economic impact (+11%), GHG emissions (+10%), and the nutritional content (−8%) complete the multivariable impact profile that the COVID-19 outbreak had on FLW generation and management. Accordingly, this study once again highlights that measures aimed at reducing FLW, particularly in the household sector, are critical to make better use of food surpluses and FLW prevention and control, allowing us to confront future unforeseen scenarios.
Volume
742
Language
English
OCDE Knowledge area
Economía
Epidemiología
Alimentos y bebidas
Subjects
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-85087201699
PubMed ID
Source
Science of the Total Environment
ISSN of the container
00489697
Sponsor(s)
The authors are grateful for the funding of the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness through the CERES-PROCON Project CTM2016-76176 (AEI/FEDER, UE) and the KAIROS-BIOCIR Project PID2019-104925RB (AEO/FEDER, UE). Jara Laso thanks the University of Cantabria for its financial support via the postdoctoral grant ?Augusto Gonzalez Linares?. Daniel Hoehn thanks the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness of Spanish Government for their financial support via the research fellowship BES-2017-080296. Jorge Crist?bal acknowledges financial support from the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities through the ?Beatriz Galindo? grant BEAGAL18/00035. The authors are responsible for the choice and presentation of information contained in this paper as well as for the opinions expressed therein, which are not necessarily those of UNESCO and do not commit this organization.
Sources of information:
Directorio de Producción Científica
Scopus