Yes / This paper provides a management perspective of organisational factors that contributes to the reduction of food waste through the application of design science principles to explore causal relationships between food distribution (organisational) and consumption (societal) factors. Qualitative data were collected with an organisational perspective from commercial food consumers along with large-scale food importers, distributors, and retailers. Cause-effect models are built and “what-if” simulations are conducted through the development and application of a Fuzzy Cognitive Map (FCM) approaches to elucidate dynamic interrelationships. The simulation models developed provide a practical insight into existing and emergent food losses scenarios, suggesting the need for big data sets to allow for generalizable findings to be extrapolated from a more detailed quantitative exercise. This research offers itself as evidence to support policy makers in the development of policies that facilitate interventions to reduce food losses. It also contributes to the literature through sustaining, impacting and potentially improving levels of food security, underpinned by empirically constructed policy models that identify potential behavioural changes. It is the extension of these simulation models set against a backdrop of a proposed big data framework for food security, where this study sets avenues for future research for others to design and construct big data research in food supply chains. This research has therefore sought to provide policymakers with a means to evaluate new and existing policies, whilst also offering a practical basis through which food chains can be made more resilient through the consideration of management practices and policy decisions.

Yes / The issues of food loss and waste (FLW) in the global supply chains have recently attracted attention. However, the causes of and strategies for mitigating FLW at different stages of the supply chains remain under researched. Our research aims to address these gaps in knowledge in a three-fold way: i) we identified the key causes (through root-cause analysis) of FLW in the supply chain of developed and less developed countries; ii) we systematically classified measures and policies that have been implemented to mitigate FLW; and iii) we developed an interdisciplinary conceptual framework for waste utilisation practices that can contribute towards the triple bottom-line in food systems. A root-cause analysis was performed and mitigation strategies identified by systematically analysing and synthesising the research published over the past 20 years (1998 to 2018) in the areas of FLW in the supply chain. We propose a conceptual model for the prevention of FLW utilising a systems approach through the concept of a circular economy. Since the agri-food sector is largely interdisciplinary, in our proposed model, we have also demonstrated a method of integrating contributions from multiple disciplines towards achieving total depollution (zero waste) in the supply chain. / Support provided by the British Academy/Leverhulme Small Research Grant, Reference No: SG160072, for the development of the study.

Yes / Purpose: this paper presents notable themes regarding the relationship between sustainability development and the food loss issue. In doing so, it provides coherent knowledge concerning this global problem and highlights the key research areas in this context. Design/methodology/approach: this paper is a viewpoint piece; normative literature and supposition are used to orientate the views of the authors. Findings: this paper has identified the main causes of food loss at each stage of the food supply chain. It has then classified the causes into three groups based on organisational environment: internal causes, micro-environmental causes and macro-environmental causes. In addition, the authors suggest a need to adopt a holistic view of the performance measurement system in the food industry through incorporating sustainability pillars with traditional performance perspectives in the context of food loss. Practical implications: food loss generating from various causes along the supply chain means that more food should flow across the supply chains to reach consumers’ homes. This paper provides reassuring insights that will help the decision-makers in food companies to revise the performance measurement system in the context of food loss reduction. Social implications: reducing food loss will contribute to increasing food availability and decreasing food prices, which leads to strengthening economic and physical access for those people who are not able to get food. Consequently, it considers a mandatory step to enhance food security. Originality/value: to raise the significance of food loss reduction along the supply chain and to stress an urgent need to adopt a holistic view of the sustainability performance measurement system with a particular focus on the food loss issue.

Yes / Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the use, applicability and relevance of strategic planning as a process and tool when applied to exploring food security challenges, in the context of existing research on food security and food waste in the food supply chain. The issues associated with robust and resilient food supply chains within a circular economy are increasingly being seen as supportive of creating enhanced levels of food security but the authors argue that this is only sustainable when strategically planned as part of a cross-enterprise, information-rich and complex supply chain. The relevance of the Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Legal and Environmental (PESTLE) strategic planning tool is explored to establish whether it can play a role tacking the complexity of food insecurity (i.e. a lack of food security). Design/methodology/approach – This is a viewpoint piece therefore as a result, thought, normative literature and supposition are used as a means to ground and orientate the views of the authors. Findings – The authors identify and conclude that strategic planning tools like PESTLE across enterprises may not be relevant in supporting the reduction of food insecurity. This conclusion is predicated on the heightened level of complexity surrounding the pursuit of food security and the simplistic categorisation of PESTLE factors in a linear fashion that underpin this tool. Rather, the authors’ call for the use of strategic planning tools that are able to capture a large number of inter-related factors holistically. Practical implications – This insight to the inter-related factors that contribute to food insecurity will allow policy developers, decision makers and others to develop their understanding of how strategic planning can support increased levels of food security within a circular economy and across cross-enterprises. Originality/value – The authors contribute to the literature through a new insight of how normative strategic planning tools need to evolve in a complex, inter-connected world of international business and geo-politics. In doing so, it is expected that this research will motivate others to develop their line of enquiry around uncovering and exploring those inter-relationships connecting PESTLE factors.

Food safety and food waste have many strands and perspectives; one is how managers and staff make decisions. There is limited research on food catering services, how managers and staff deal with food safety and waste, and their decision approaches. To obtain a better understanding, this research sought the lived experiences of managers and staff. The research aim is to explore the lived experiences of managers and staff to better understand their decision behaviour approaches in controlling food safety and food waste. The way forward is to conduct a qualitative phenomenological research focusing on twenty-five purposefully selected managers and staff in Vancouver. Using organisational theory as a lens, data were obtained through semi-structured interviews and non-participant observations. The research used inductive thematic analysis, resulting in nineteen themes. The key findings were inadequate training and planning, improper practices and customer behaviours attributed to internal and external processes and systems; managers and staff lacked appreciation for using a specific approach to support decisions. The researcher introduces systems thinking as one approach to support decision making to enhance control of food safety and waste. The implications include appreciating the interrelationship of factors influencing food safety and food waste. The research limitations were the COVID-19 pandemic, time and resources, and insufficient participant experiences. The research contribution was using systems thinking as one of the approaches to make decisions to enhance control of food safety and food waste in food catering services.

Anaerobic digestion (AD) is becoming a widely adopted technology for conversion of organic waste and nutrient-rich fertiliser production due to its cost-effectiveness and sustainability. In this study, a batch experiment was conducted using five different types of food waste and cow dung (CD). No significant difference was observed among the four substrates that produced the highest methane (P<0.05). Based on the batch experiment results, two substrates were selected for semi-continuous digestion and the highest methane yield (67%) was obtained from co-digestion (CO). PCR-DGGE results revealed higher bacterial and archaeal diversity indices in CO as compared to mono-digestion of CD and mixed food waste. The high-throughput sequence analyses revealed that the Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs) belonging to the phyla Bacteroidetes, followed by Firmicutes, Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria, were dominant in all treatments. The enhanced methane production in CO could be attributed to the neutral pH and partial shift of archaea from Methanosaeta to Methanosarcina. The digestate and fresh CD were screened for plant growth promoting bacteria (PGPB), nutrient and heavy metal content. The dung contained higher concentrations of heavy metals (P<0.05) and potential pathogens in comparison to the digestate. The use of digestate may, therefore, enhance soil fertility with minimal negative environmental effects. / School of Agriculture and Life Sciences / M. Sc. (Life Sciences)

Household food waste levels pose a considerable problem in terms of sustainability. Food stock management applications for smartphones are interventions that support people in planning and keeping an overview of their food stock in order to reduce food waste. So far mainly their usability and effectiveness for reduction of food waste have been researched in HCI. This study aimed at investigating how these applications are being integrated into people’s food practices, and how their features contributed to the integration. In a three-week long field study seven participants used one of two applications in their daily lives. Through interviews and diary entries it was observed that some people integrated the applications into their food practices to replace other actions like checking one’s food stock. New connections to the food practices were created through expiration reminders and providing means to check the food stock from a distance. Reminders were seen as helpful even if not always necessary and can be seen as an opportunity to further support the integration process. The main issues for the integration were the high-effort adding processes and remembering to update the inventory after consumption.

published_or_final_version / Environmental Management / Master / Master of Science in Environmental Management

The globalized food system poses many systemic challenges that have significant impacts on the environment and human health. In order to tackle these challenges, especially those relating to climate change, it is assumed that consumers need to be accountable for the role they play in these issues, requiring them to alter their harmful consumption habits. In terms of the food system, this means that people need to evolve into ethical consumers and become more invested in what and how much they eat, where it comes from, etc . However, throughout the literature and in policies, there remains a focus on altering what people buy, rather than reducing waste from their overconsumption. Reducing waste and consumption would have a more beneficial impact for the environment, human health, and urban sustainability, yet it remains secondary to the narrative of buying sustainable alternatives. A waste reduction narrative would encourage sustainable behaviours that would also be more accessible to households of various socioeconomic backgrounds, and would provide more tangible results in terms of money saved, reduced greenhouse gases and waste output, and increased sustainability. However, food consumption is the result of many ingrained daily food practices influenced by a multitude of factors that prevent people from consciously considering the consequences of their actions. Food consumption and waste management as a phenomenon can therefore be interpreted using Social Practice Theory (SPT), which states that all humans act autonomously and according to social norms. This means that practices are recursive and routinized, subject to change, yet somewhat unconscious. All practices lead to consumption in some way, and changing such deeply embedded routines to become more sustainable requires a full understanding of these deeply entrenched practices. Practices can be broken down into three main components that drive how practices are formed and maintained:materials, competences, and meanings. This project uses mini-ethnographic studies to highlight SPT in order to understand the factors (contextual, materials, competences, and meanings) influencing households in Edmonton, Canada as they navigate the current sustainability narrative, and how they approach sustainable food consumption and food waste management. The results from this study lend some insight into what materials, competences, meanings, and other factors drive people already somewhat aware of sustainable food consumption issues to practice such types of behaviour. These influential elements have been found in many other recently published works, and give further insight into how broad external factors and specific internal factors can drive consumption practices. Prevention and reduction behaviours were already somewhat prevalent in this group. It is important that education programs targeting sustainable food consumption behaviours understand what drives certain food related practices, and how they can target the barriers that prevent certain groups of people from adopting more sustainable habits.

The use of visual data representation is increasing the possibilities to exchange information and communicate indifferent contexts all over the world. Communicating food wastage visually to influence consuming patterns isone of these possibilities. Food wastage is currently a much-prioritized topic in Sweden as well as globally due toits negative impacts on society, environment and the economy, and therefore there is much need to bringinnovative solutions supporting reduction of food waste. This thesis presents a qualitative research based on a casestudy of food waste management at Sala municipality in Sweden while exploring the current visual datarepresentation techniques and its further potential to make food waste management more sustainable. The researchframework used in this thesis is based on visual rhetoric and the innovation theories. The thesis analyzes foodwastage from an international perspective, its connection to sustainable development goals and how MatomaticAB uses a visual data representation tool to address food wastage.The thesis further explains how the users associated with Sala municipality interpret the existing tool, thechallenges they face and review their expectations to build a new visual data representation model. The results ofquestionnaires filled by user’s, state that 50% of the respondents understand the current tool to its full capacityand only 50% of the respondents are satisfied with the overall tool. When it comes to the choice of datapresentation 67% of the users showed interest in use of infographics instead of the conventional bar graphs, andtherefore some parameters like, making the tool more interesting using infographics, user friendly by limiting thedata displayed and interactive by giving user options to explore further as per their liking, were thought whiledesigning the new visual data representation model.