At the retail level, 25% of sellable food is wasted, and perishable foods account for 72% of food waste in the United States. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the food waste reduction strategies used by supermarket perishable food department managers, which are covered under the Good Samaritan Food Donation Acts (state and federal). The participant population was comprised of 17 managers who are responsible for perishable foods departments (bakery, deli, meat, dairy, and produce) at local, regional, and national supermarkets in Midland, Michigan. Goal systems theory served as the conceptual framework lens for which the findings of this study are viewed. Data collected centered around long interviews and publicly available company documents. Interviews and field notes, including member checking, were transcribed and analyzed using NVivo software. Using methodological triangulation of these data sources, 3 themes emerged from the data analysis: the knowledge level of participants relative to the Good Samaritan Food Donation Act, factors that influence food waste and management strategy, and existing food waste reduction strategies. Most front-line managers are not aware of the Good Samaritan Food Donation Act. Factors that influence food waste include sell-by dates, personal bias, and food handling regulations. Existing food waste reduction strategies include donations, price reductions, stock rotation, and in-store repurposing. Positive social change may result from the results of this study if food waste can be further reduced or more food redirected to the needy. The study findings may be useful to supermarket managers as they consider the protection at the state and federal levels that the Good Samaritan Food Donation Act offers.

Background: The Georgia Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (GSFMNP) is intended to increase consumption of fruits and vegetables among Georgia’s low-income, older adults. The program provides $20 in vouchers with which participants may purchase Georgia-grown fruits and vegetables at approved farmers’ markets. Similar programs operate in other states, and studies suggest that these programs are successful in increasing fruit and vegetable intake among participants. However, because Georgia’s program operates somewhat differently, offering only a single market event at most locations, it may have different results. The purpose of this study was to determine whether or not produce purchased at GSFMNP events in 2008 contributed to an increase in the fruit and vegetable intakes of the participants and to identify factors that may have influenced those intakes. The study focused on purchase, consumption, preservation, waste, and sharing of fresh fruits and vegetables. Methods: For this qualitative study, a sample of 198 GSFMNP participants was surveyed from ten metro Atlanta senior centers where markets were held in August and September of 2008. Descriptive statistics were produced to summarize purchase behaviors, food utilization behaviors, and attitudes. Analyses of relationships between variables were performed using Pearson chi-square tests. Results: Twenty-seven percent of subjects reported consuming more fruits and vegetables than usual in the week following the farmers’ market event. There was a significant association between a larger than usual purchase amount and increased intake. There was also a significant association between increased intake and sharing purchased items. No significant associations with increased intake were found for variety of items purchased, preserving food, or discarding food. Those who purchased more fresh produce than usual appeared to be more likely to share their food with others but were not more likely to discard food. Ninety-seven percent of subjects said they would participate in the program again. Conclusion: Results of this study suggest that the majority of GSFMNP participants did not increase their intakes of fruits and vegetables. Sharing, preserving, and discarding food did not appear to be responsible for this outcome. More research is needed to discover what strategies could increase fruit and vegetable intakes among participants of the GSFMNP.

The purpose of this study was to examine attitudes and potential for sorting of food waste at restaurants in the central part of Umeå. The information was gathered through a questionnaire survey and by exploring different sorting methods. The questionnaire was sent to 55 restaurants and 24 of them responded. A majority of the respondents wanted to sort out food waste. 72.8 % believe they have a good or moderate potential to sort out food waste in the future and none of the respondents answered that they believed that they had no means of sorting out food waste. Overall, the restaurants are considered to have good attitudes about sorting food waste. However, this may be because the respondents have a better attitude than those who chose not to respond. The sorting methods were evaluated by reviewing reports written by government agencies and industry associations. Mill systems connected to a tank had the most pros and least cons of the sorting methods, but were expensive to install and required a lot of space. Sorting in individual containers was less expensive and required less space but was considered worse from a working environment standpoint. It seems that a combination of individual containers and a mill system connected to a tank suit most restaurants.

Finding an alternative to fishmeal and fish oil in animal feeds has been a topic of increasing interest due to the pressures being put on the ocean’s fisheries and the increasing world demand for animal protein. An often-overlooked source of nutrients is in the form of food waste. One third of all food produced globally ends up in landfills, wasting a huge amount of nutrients and embodied energy that could otherwise be redirected towards productive use. This study investigated the feasibility of feeding Hermetia illucens, the black soldier fly larvae (BSFL), grown on urban food waste, and Lemna minor, a species of duckweed, to tilapia in a recirculating aquaponic system as a compound feed. The study compared the growth of two groups of 58 tilapia over 44 days; one group was fed commercial pellets and the other a compound feed composed of BSFL and duckweed. The group fed the commercial pellets achieved heavier weight gain than the group fed the experimental feed but both groups resulted in steady weight gain and had similar mortality rates. Feeding the experimental feed composed of BSFL and duckweed to tilapia in an aquaponics system is an effective method of diverting food waste from the landfill and further research should be done to optimize this process.

This thesis reports on the research undertaken to increase the sustainability of the management of industrial food waste. The main objective of this research is to develop a systematic framework that can be used by food manufacturers to identify and implement sustainable solutions for food waste management. The research reported in this thesis is divided into four main parts. The first part reviews the literature on ramifications and issues associated with the generation and management of food waste, available options to tackle issues related to food waste, categorisations of food waste and existing methodologies to support food waste management modelling and decision-making with regard to the management of food waste. The second part introduces a framework to identify types of food waste and link them to their most sustainable food waste management solution. The third part presents a food waste management modelling procedure and identifies attributes needed to model food waste management. The fourth part analyses relationships between attributes and provides information flowcharts and a methodology to support the modelling of food waste management systems. The applicability and usefulness of the research have been demonstrated through case studies with two UK food manufacturers: a brewery and a meat-alternative manufacturer. Although the framework presented in this thesis aims at improving food manufacturers waste management, it could be easily adapted to be used in other stages of the food supply chain. In summary, the research reported in this thesis has concluded that food manufacturers generate large amounts of food waste that are managed in a wide range of ways. A systematic framework to analyse types of food being wasted, waste management processes, food manufacturers, waste management processors and sustainability implications of food waste management provides a sound methodology to identify opportunities to improve the management of industrial food waste.

The objectives of this 8-week study were to assess the amount (weight) of pre-consumer (production) food waste at a large university, serving 18,000 meal plan holders, and identify major contributors of food waste (i.e. food categories, types of waste). Dining facility managers and waste coordinators (WCs) were voluntarily recruited from three dining facilities to oversee all food waste data collection and entry by dining staff, and attend weekly meetings with the research team. Food waste was weighed by staff at the designated facilities using institutional food scales. Information about the food waste was then written on tracking sheets and entered into an online database. The tracking sheet and database contained information on: product description (i.e. food type), reason for waste, weight of food (lbs), disposal method (compost/food scraps, diverted, or trash), and any related comments. Waste analysis included aggregating weekly data by total waste (lbs), facility, food type, food groups of MyPlate, and reason for food waste. Quantitative results from this study reveal that thousands of pounds of food waste are disposed of each week, especially for proteins and grains. Results derived from qualitative interviews and focus groups indicated that waste tracking is beneficial for staff buy-in, creating waste standards to improve efficiency, and adjusting food production schedules. Implications from these results indicate ability to help guide policy and practice, and provide insight into major contributors of institutional food waste. / Master of Science

Food has a substantial impact on climate change and the environment, to reduce the impact, the Europe Union has decided that all countries should start collecting food waste from the 1stof January 2024. In Sweden there are 30 out of 290 municipalities that doesn’t collect any food waste generated by households. This paper is set to examine what obstacles these municipalities are facing and what methods they should be using while implementing their food waste collection system. The method for determining what obstacles the municipality face was through a survey sent out to the 30 municipalities who hasn’t yet implemented the system inquiring what obstacles they were facing. To identify which methods should be used while implementing their system, five municipalities who already are collecting food waste was interviewed about which methods was effective for them and what wasn’t. The study showed that economical and logistical problems in different varieties was the most frequent issue, the source of the issues was most commonly the low-density population and large area within the municipality. The issues rendered the purpose of collecting the food waste unnecessary as well as putting substantial financial strain on the municipality. The most effective methods to manage these issues were: cooperation between municipalities, tailored collection systems with special vehicles and food waste containers along with a satisfactory communication to the households. Most municipalities predict a higher fee for the households, furthermore they find that the changing directive from the government makes it hard to plan.

Up to 40% of all edible food is wasted in the United States (U.S.) and a large proportion represents consumer waste. Research on food waste is in its infancy, particularly as it relates to youth. Summer camps offer a unique setting for food-based education, with the opportunity to reach large numbers of youth. This MS thesis describes a study that used a mixed-methods research approach to explore three objectives: 1) assess food waste in a residential 4-H youth summer camp setting; 2) determine if an educational program delivered to youth ages 9-13 years, would reduce food waste; and 3) understand stakeholders' views about the benefits and barriers to food waste reduction programs in the camp setting. The research team and camp staff developed and adapted food waste activities based on the Experiential Learning Model. Participants attended one of four weekly sessions to raise their awareness about food waste. Consumer and production food waste from three meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) was collected over a 24-hour cycle and weighed before and after each weekly program to determine total amount of food wasted (pounds) during each week, average waste/child (pounds), and waste/meal (percentage). Waste was collected using the direct weighing method. Paired t-tests were used to assess differences. Stakeholder interviews (n=6) were conducted with Extension Agents, camp program directors, and camp staffers involved with the program. Inductive thematic analysis was used to determine themes and subthemes. This cross-sectional study included 864 residential campers. Over the course of the four weeks, the cafeteria produced a total amount of 3,182 lbs of food of which, 996.6 lb (30.4%) was wasted. Total consumer waste for all four weeks before and after the intervention was 76.5 lbs and 57.3 lbs, respectively. Although a decrease in consumer food waste was observed, results were not statistically significant (p>0.05). Total production waste decreased from 441.5 lbs before to 390.6 lb after the intervention. Production waste, in relation to the number of servings prepared, also decreased throughout the course of the four weeks. The main themes from the stakeholder interviews emphasized the need for a food waste curriculum and adequate resources to build and sustain the capacity of the education program.The limitations of this study included different menu items served throughout the four weeks, lack of randomization, and limited sample size of camps (n=4). This was the first food waste study conducted at a youth summer camp, which showed that food waste reduction and behavior change among campers are possible within a short time period. Further research is warranted to minimize food waste in broader contexts and in other camp settings. / Master of Science

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