Problem: Food waste is a major issue from both an environmental as well as an economic perspective. In Europe alone, 90 million tons of food is wasted in the food supply chain every year. In order to reduce these excessive costs and the environmental impact, new food waste management strategies need to be developed and established. The food waste management strategies established in the retail stage are limited as the retail stage is an area of the food supply chain that has been neglected in research.   Purpose: This thesis explores the food waste management of fresh fruits and vegetables out of retailer´s perspective. In specific, it assesses the potential effects for Swedish supermarkets in which have established processes where non-sellable products are recycled through conversion in-house.   Method: This qualitative study has been performed through observational studies with semi-structured interviews to complement the observational findings. The empirical data is collected at Swedish supermarkets that have conversion processes established in their organization. The respondents were either store managers or managers for perishable goods. The data were analysed using the content analysis approach.   Findings: The results of our research reveal that conversion activities of fresh fruits and vegetables result in less food waste and positive economic outcomes. To create higher economic value of the food waste conversion, the conversion of fresh fruits and vegetables should be performed in combination with other product categories.

Submitted by Marilene Donadel (marilene.donadel@unioeste.br) on 2017-08-16T23:07:38Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Matheus V D Gueri 2017.pdf: 1827938 bytes, checksum: f928f0bf5b55cfe7b22abca24733dcc7 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-08-16T23:07:38Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Matheus V D Gueri 2017.pdf: 1827938 bytes, checksum: f928f0bf5b55cfe7b22abca24733dcc7 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-02-20 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / The generation of food waste grows as the demand for food increases, that is, it is bound to the entire food production chain. This emphasize new techniques must be developed to assure the proper handling and treatment of this organic residue. Anaerobic digestion of food waste then arise as a promising alternative for the treatment of food waste that simultaneously promote the generation of clean and renewable energy. Therefore, the present research aimed to perform anaerobic digestion of food waste from a popular restaurant, verifying the potential for energetic utilization. BMP assays were performed in 250 mL reactors to verify the biodegradability of food residues, and in a prototype 408 L anaerobic reactor, adapted with agitation and temperature control, operating in a semi-continuous feed mode with the food waste. The variables of control (solids, pH, VFA, alkalinity, Volatile Acid:Alkalinity ratio and organic loading) were collected 3 times a week, over 51 days, totaling 21 samplings. Reductions of COD and SV were obtained in the percentages of 81.63% and 23.58% for the BMP assay and 82.34 and 90.22% for the semi-continuous experiment. It was possible to reach the specific methane production of 0.311 Nm3 CH4.kgVSr-1 for the BMP assay and 0,444 Nm3 CH4.kgVSr-1 in the semi-continuous experiment. The daily production of the semi-continuous reactor was obtained the average of 220 Lbiogas.d-1; while the volumetric production of biogas obtained an average of 0.540 L.Lr-1d-1. It was verified too that there was the stability of the semi-continuous reactor, with a mean Volatile Acid:Alkality ratio of 0.49. / A geração de resíduo alimentar cresce conforme aumenta a demanda por alimentos, ou seja, está atrelada a toda a cadeia de produção alimentar. Isso evidencia que novas técnicas devem ser desenvolvidas para assegurar o manejo e tratamento adequado destes resíduos. A digestão anaeróbia de resíduos alimentares surge então como uma alternativa promissora para o tratamento dos resíduos alimentares que simultaneamente promove a geração de energia limpa e renovável. Sendo assim, a presente pesquisa teve por objetivo realizar ensaios de digestão anaeróbia de resíduos alimentares provenientes de um restaurante popular, verificando o potencial de reaproveitamento energético. Foram realizados ensaios BMP em reatores de 250 mL para verificar a biodegradabilidade dos resíduos alimentares e em um protótipo de biodigestor anaeróbio de 408 L, adaptado com mecanismos de agitação e controle de temperatura, operando em modo de alimentação semi-contínuo com os resíduos alimentares. As variáveis de controle (sólidos, pH, AGV, alcalinidade, relação AV/AT e carga orgânica) foram coletadas 3 vezes por semana, ao longo de 51 dias, totalizando 21 amostragens. Obtiveram-se reduções da DQO e SV, respectivamente, os percentuais de 81,63 % e 23,58 % para o ensaio BMP e de 82,34 e 90,22 % para o experimento semi-contínuo. Foi possível alcançar a produção específica de metano de 0,311 Nm3 CH4.kgSVr-1 para o ensaio BMP e 0,444 Nm3 CH4.kgSVr-1 no experimento semi-contínuo. A produção diária do reator semi-contínuo foi, em média, de 220 Lbiogás.d-1; e a produção volumétrica de biogás média foi de 0,540 L.Lr-1d-1. Também se verificou a estabilidade do reator semi-contínuo, que apresentou em média a relação AV/AT de 0,49.

Under år 2008 användes globalt en energimängd motsvarande nästan 144 000 TWh ochav dessa stod fossila bränslen för 81 %. I Sverige uppgick energitillförseln under år2010 till totalt 616 TWh och av detta stod råolja/oljeprodukter för 30,4 %. Vidförbränning av fossila bränslen frigörs koldioxid, en gas som bidrar till att förstärkaväxthuseffekten. År 2000 uppmättes halten av koldioxid i atmosfären till 370 ppmv ochför att den globala temperaturen inte ska öka med mer än 2°C bör halten stanna på 450ppmv innan år 2100. Ett sätt att minska andelen av fossila bränslen är att öka andelen avförnybara energikällor, som t.ex. biogas, som i Sverige uppskattas kunna ge enenergimängd motsvarande 10-15 TWh/år i framtiden.Vid biogasanläggningen Kungsängens gård, Uppsala, samrötas slakteriavfall samtorganiskt avfall från hushåll och livsmedelsindustri i en termofil rötningsprocess. Underår 2011 producerades ca 3 400 000 Nm3 biogas och den största andelen uppgraderadestill fordonsgas. Behovet fordonsgas i Uppsala ökar och i detta examensarbete utreddestvå sätt att effektivisera processen och öka gasproduktionen. Dels undersöktes om enökad belastning skulle ge en ökad biogasproduktion utan att riskera processensstabilitet. Detta gjordes i två labskalereaktorer där belastningen ökades gradvis i denena. Dels studerades möjligheten att minska energiförbrukningen på anläggningengenom att byta hygieniseringsmetod. Innan substratet matas in i rötkamrarna måste dethygieniseras, vilket i dagsläget görs genom pastörisering (upphettning till 70oC under entimme). Då detta är väldigt energikrävande finns det planer på att byta metod ochistället låta substratet hygieniseras i rötkamrarna (52°C) i minst 10 timmar. Det är dockviktigt att beakta huruvida metanpotentialen för pastöriserat och opastöriserat materialskiljer sig åt, varför detta utreddes i sk satsvisa utrötningsförsök.Genom hela belastningsökningen (från 3 till 6 kg VS/m3,d) ökade biogasproduktionenoch vid den högsta belastningen var ökningen 100 % jämfört med dagens nivå. Andraviktiga processparametrar, så som specifik gasproduktion, kvoten CO2/CH4, pH,halterna av fettsyror och utrötningsgraden, låg på en jämn nivå under försöket, vilkettyder på att processen var stabil trots den ökade belastningen. Utrötningsförsöket visadeatt pastöriseringen inte hade någon effekt på metanproduktionen, troligtvis eftersomsubstratet redan var lättnedbrytbart. Beräkningen av energiförbrukning visade attenergianvändningen skulle minska med ca 33 % vid byte av hygieniseringsmetod. / During 2008 an amount of energy equivalent to almost 144,000 TWh was used globally,of which fossil fuels accounted for 81 %. In Sweden, during 2010, an amount of energyequivalent to 616 TWh was used, of which crude oil/oil products accounted for 30.4 %.Carbon dioxide, a gas that contributes to the global warming, is produced during thecombustion of fossil fuels. In 2000 the levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere wasmeasured to be 370 ppmv and if the global temperature is not to increase with morethan 2°C, the levels should stay at 450 ppmv by 2100. One way of decreasing the use offossil fuels is to increase the use of renewable energy, such as biogas. In the futurebiogas can, approx., provide with energy equivalent to 10-15 TWh/year in Sweden.At the biogas plant Kungsängens gård, in Uppsala, slaughterhouse byproducts are codigestedwith source separated household waste and waste from the food processingindustry in a thermophilic process. During the year 2011 approximately 3,400,000 Nm3of biogas was produced at the plant, of which most was upgraded to vehicle fuel. Theconsumption of vehicle fuel is increasing in Uppsala and thus there is a need forincreased biogas production. The aim of this master thesis was to investigate two waysto increase the efficiency and consequently the gas production at the biogas plant atKungsängens gård. Firstly, it was studied if an increased organic loading rate (OLR)would give an increased biogas production, without disturbing the process. This wasdone in two lab scale reactors, where the load was increased gradually in one. Secondly,the possibility to decrease the energy consumption by means of a change of sanitizationmethod was studied. The substrate has to be sanitized before it is fed to the digesters,currently this is done by pasteurization. This process is, however, energy-demandingand there are plans to change the method of sanitization. It is, however, important toconsider whether the methane potential differs for the pasteurized and the nonpasteurizedsubstrate. This was studied in small scale biogas batch reactors.Through all stages of increased OLR (from 3 to 6 kg VS/m3, d) the biogas productionincreased, and at the largest load the increase was 100 % compared to the present level.Other important process parameters, such as specific methane production, CO2/CH4-ratio, pH, levels of fatty acids and degree of digestion, were at regular levels and thisindicates that the process was maintained stable in spite of the increased load. The testin the small scale biogas batch reactors showed that pasteurization of the substrate hadno effect on the methane potential, probably due to that the substrate already is readilybiodegradable. The estimation of the energy consumption showed that the use of energyshould decrease with approx. 33 % if the sanitization was replaced.

One third of all food that is produced ends up as waste, making it an important for society. Companies in food sector offer various packaging sizes to consumers to meet different household needs, where smaller packaging sizes often have a higher unit price than larger packaging sizes. In Sweden, 70% of households consist of 1-2 person households, which indicate a need for smaller packaging sizes. Price is a determining factor in the choice of products, which may mean that consumers choose packaging size by price and not after their need.  This master thesis has focused on dairy products because it is one of the product groups where wastage is highest. Furthermore, dairy products are important in the Swedes diet, have high emission of CO2-equivalents and can be bought in different packaging sizes.  The purpose of this master thesis was to investigate how companies’ price strategy influence product price of small versus large packaging and also to investigate the emission of CO2-equivalents of different packaging sizes. This was done in order to get a better understanding of the subject and to find a recommendation for companies to help households to reduce food waste. A case study was used as research strategy, and through a mixed-method with calculations, interview, price gathering and collection of secondary data a result has been presented.  The results indicate that more food can be wasted from an economical perspective than from the perspective with emission of CO2-equivalents, which is true for all investigated products. It results in lower emission of CO2-equivalents if the customers purchase smaller packaging instead of waste food. However, there will be difficult to reduce the amount of household food waste if it continues to be economically motivated to waste food instead of purchase smaller packaging. A cost based pricing of food products is not useful if the consumers shall reduce their food waste, since price is an important factor when choosing products. One way to reduce the household food waste is to shift towards more value-based strategies when pricing products. This might reduce the unit price gap between different packaging sizes. / En tredjedel av all mat som produceras slutar som matavfall, vilket gör det till en viktig samhällsfråga. Livsmedelsföretagen erbjuder olika förpackningsstorlekar till konsumenterna för att möta olika hushålls behov, där mindre förpackningsstorlekar oftast har ett högre jämförelsepris än större förpackningar. I Sverige är 70% 1-2 personers hushåll vilket innebär ett behov av mindre förpackningsstorlekar. Pris är en avgörande faktor vid val av produkter, vilket kan innebära att konsumenterna väljer förpackningsstorlek efter pris och inte efter behov.  Denna examensuppsats har fokuserat på mejeriprodukter eftersom det är en av produktgrupperna som det slängs mest av. Mejeriprodukter är dessutom en viktig del av svenskarnas diet, har ett högt utsläpp av CO2-eqvivalenter och kan köpas i olika förpackningsstorlekar.  Syftet med denna examensuppsats var att undersöka hur företagens prisstrategi påverkar produktpriset på små kontra stora förpackningar och också att undersöka utsläppet av CO2-eqvivalenter på olika förpackningsstorlekar. Det gjordes för att få en ökad förståelse av ämnet och för att hitta en rekommendation till företag att hjälpa hushållen att minska matsvinnet. En fallstudie användes som forskningsstrategi och genom en mixad metod med beräkningar, intervju, prisinsamling och insamling av sekundärdata har ett resultat presenterats.  Resultatet visar att det går att slänga mer mat ur ett ekonomiskt perspektiv än ur ett perspektiv med utsläpp av CO2-ekvivlaenter, vilket överensstämmer för samtliga undersökta produkter. Det resulterar i mindre utsläpp av CO2-eqvivalenter om konsumenterna köper mindre förpackningar istället för att slänga mat. Det kommer däremot att bli svårt att minska mängden matsvinn från hushållen om det fortsätter att vara ekonomiskt motiverat att slänga mat istället för att köpa mindre förpackningar. En kostnadsbaserad prissättning av produkter är inte användbar om konsumenterna ska minska sitt matsvinn eftersom priset är en viktig faktor vid val av produkter. Ett sätt att minska hushållens matsvinn är att byta till mer värdebaserade strategier vid prissättning av produkter. Detta kan minska skillnaden i jämförelsepris mellan olika förpackningsstorlekar.

Η παρούσα μεταπτυχιακή εργασία αναλύει τα αίτια, τους παράγοντες και τις προεκτάσες του προβλήματος της σπατάλης τροφίμων. Εξετάζει τη συμπεριφορά του καταναλωτή σε σχέση με το τρόφιμο και τη σπατάλη τροφίμων. Τέλος, περιλαμβάνει ποσοτική έρευνα σχετικά με τη συμπεριφορά του καταναλωτή απέναντι στο τρόφιμο, τη σπατάλη τροφίμων και τις προεκτάσεις του προβλήματος της σπατάλης τροφίμων στην Ελλάδα. / This thesis analyzes the causes, factors and implications of the problem of food waste. Examines consumer behavior in relation to food and food wastage. Finally, it includes quantitative research on consumer behavior towards food, food waste and implications of the problem of food wastage in Greece.

Sammanfattning Bakgrund Att minska matsvinnet är en viktig del i arbetet mot att nå en hållbar utveckling. Utsläpp av växthusgaser och övergödning sker i alla produktionsled i livsmedelskedjan från producent till konsument och utgör en negativ klimatpåverkan. Livsmedelsbutiker har en betydelsefull roll eftersom de hanterar stora mängder varor och tillhandahåller mat till många hushåll. Forskning finns om typ och omfattning av matsvinn slänger men få studier har belyst hur chefer och personal i livsmedelsbutik upplever och tänker kring ämnet. Syfte Syftet var att undersöka upplevelser och tankar kring matsvinn hos butikschefer samt anställda i livsmedelsbutiker. Metod Studien genomfördes som en kvalitativ studie där butikschefer och anställda vid åtta livsmedelsbutiker intervjuades. Datamaterialet transkriberades och analyserades därefter med kvalitativ innehållsanalys enligt Graneheim och Lundman. Resultat  Matsvinn sågs som ett problemområde som deltagarna upplevde svårt att motverka. De beskrev det som ett etiskt dilemma när fullgod mat kastas och det samtidigt finns svält och en miljö som belastas. Det fanns faktorer utanför livsmedelsbutikernas kontroll som gjorde arbetet med matsvinn besvärligt. Ekonomi var enligt deltagarna betydande för livsmedelsbutikers överlevnad och de upplevde minskat svinn som en möjlighet till att spara pengar. Andra betydelsefulla faktorer för att motverka matsvinnet hos livsmedelsbutikerna var rätt hantering och goda rutiner. Kunskap upplevdes bidra till att minska matsvinn och därför ansåg deltagarna att den borde öka hos både anställda och kunder. Tanken om samarbete med producenter upplevdes som god men däremot svårt gällande konkurrenter.   Slutsats Denna studie har påvisat att matsvinn är ett komplext ämne eftersom det samexisterar med svält och miljöpåfrestningar. Det är bra om livsmedelsbutiker ändrar sina attityder gällande samarbete för att möjliggöra gemensamma åtgärder mot matsvinn. Möjligheten att tjäna pengar driver butikerna till handling. Livsmedelsbutikerna bör utforma bättre och rakare direktiv till personal och kunder för en bättre hantering och minskat matsvinn. / Abstract Background Reducing the amount of food waste is an important factor in achieving sustainable development. Grocery stores play important roles since they handle large amounts of groceries and provide food for numerous households. Studies concerning what and which amounts grocery stores throw away exist. However, few studies have examined how personnel in grocery stores experience and think about the subject.  Objective The aim was to examine managers and employee’s experiences and thoughts about food waste at grocery stores. Method The study was conducted as a qualitative study where interviews with managers and employees at eight grocery stores were carried out. The data material was transcribed and analyzed with content analysis according to Graneheim and Lundman. Results Food waste was seen as a problem area that participants believed was difficult to avert. They described it like an ethical dilemma when food is thrown and at the same time people are starving and the environment is affected. There are external factors that affect the stores, and thus can make working with food waste difficult. The financial matter was an important factor for the survival of supermarkets and it was found that the participants’ main reason for reducing food waste was the opportunity to save money. Other factors to reduce food waste were proper handling and good routines. Adequate knowledge was something that contributed to lower food waste and therefore participants found it should increase in both staff and customers. The idea of​​cooperationwith producersperceived asgoodbutdifficultcurrentcompetitors. Conclusion This study has shown that food waste is a complex issue as it coexists with starvation and environmental stress. Grocery stores ought to change their attitudes regarding cooperation to enable joint actions against food waste. The possibility to save money drives the participants to act. The best way to minimize food waste is to educate personnel and to make more precise orders based on the actual demand.

This study aimed at using different types of food wastes as major sources of protein to replace the fish meal used in fish feeds to produce quality fish. The major objectives were to (1) investigate the variations of metalloid/metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in the fish ponds (pond mud and water), and food wastes used as fish feeds; (2) analyze bioaccumulation and biomagnification of pollutants in the food chains; and (3) evaluate the potential health risks of exposure (to these pollutants) via dietary intake of fish fed with food waste feeds. The traditional fish farming model was used to culture low trophic level fish: a filter feeder (bighead, Aristichthys nobilis), a herbivore (grass carp, Ctenopharyngodon idellus) and a bottom feeder (mud carp, Cirrhina molitorella), which are more environmental friendly as they can utilize more solar energy. Furthermore, low-trophic level fish are less susceptible to the accumulation of toxic chemicals. Two types of food wastes (mainly containing cereal (Food Waste A) and meat waste meal (Food Waste B)) were used as the major source of protein to replace the fish meal in fish feed to culture fish. The concentrations of metalloid (arsenic (As)), metals (mercury (Hg), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), lead (Pb), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu) and nickel (Ni)) in water, suspended particulate matter and sediment of the 3 experimental fish ponds located in Sha Tau Kok Organic Farm were monitored (bi-monthly during the first half year and tri-monthly during the second half year) and the results were similar to or lower than those in the commercial fish ponds around the Pearl River Delta (PRD) region. Results of the health risk assessments indicated that human consumption of grass carp (a herbivore) which fed food waste feed pellets would be safer than other fish species (mud carp, bighead carp and largemouth bass). There were no or lower magnifications, and low concentrations of metalloid/metals contained in the ponds indicated that the practice of traditional pond management by draining pond water regularly can provide a better fish pond habitat for birds and other wildlife. Furthermore, the use of food waste instead of fish meal (mainly consisted of contaminated trash fish) further reduced Hg accumulation in the cultured fish. During October 2011 - December 2012, the concentrations of PAHs and OCPs in three experimental fish ponds were monitored (bi-monthly during the first half year and tri-monthly during the second half year). The results were similar to or lower than those obtained in commercial fish ponds around the PRD region. The mean concentrations of .PAHs and .OCPs in sediment and fish collected from the experimental fish ponds during the 2nd half year (May 2012 to December 2012) were significantly higher (p<0.05) than those in the 1st half year (October 2011 to April, 2012). .PAHs and .DDTs in the two species of fish (grass carp and bighead carp) were significantly increased (p<0.05) with time, and PAHs and DDTs in grass carp and bighead carp fed with commercial fish feed pellets (control group) were significantly higher (p<0.05) than the fish fed with food waste pellets (Food Waste A and Food Waste B). Fruit, vegetables, bone meal and meat products were the major sources of PAHs and OCPs contamination for producing Food Waste A and Food Waste B. No significant increases in PAHs and DDTs concentrations with trophic levels were observed in the experimental ponds, showing that PAHs were not biomagnifed in the omnivorous food chains (plankton, grass carp, bighead carp and mud carp). DDTs were lower magnifications than those predatory food chains (plankton, trash fish, and largemouth bass) in farmed ponds. There was a very low cancer risk for PAHs and DDTs exerted on humans via consumption of bighead carp, grass carp and mud carp (fed with food waste and commercial pellets). Furthermore, the use of food waste instead of fish meal (mainly consisted of contaminated trash fish) further reduced accumulation of PAHs and DDTs in the cultured fish.PAHs and DDTs exerted on humans via consumption of bighead carp, grass carp and mud carp (fed with food waste and commercial pellets). Furthermore, the use of food waste instead of fish meal (mainly consisted of contaminated trash fish) further reduced accumulation of PAHs and DDTs in the cultured fish. The present results revealed that recycling of food waste for cultivating low trophic level fish (mainly bighead carp and grass carp) is feasible, which will also ease the disposal pressure of the large volume of food waste, a common problem encountered in densely populated cites such as Hong Kong.

Bakgrund: Ett behov att finna strategier för att minska matsvinnets negativa miljöpåverkan har identifierats inom svensk offentlig sektor. De dagliga tallriksavskrapen inom kommunala skolkök kostar samhället miljonbelopp, dessutom uppstår ytterligare matslöseri vid tillagning. Vinster antas kunna göras genom ett förbättrat resursutnyttjande inom skolköken. Med anledning att styrningsverktyget lean tidigare tillämpats inom ett antal olika kontexter, dock med ett varierande resultat, är det av intresse att studera om lean är möjligt samt meningsfullt att implementera i kommunala skolkök i syfte att reducera matsvinn. Syfte: Studiens syfte är att bidra till ökad förståelse av vilka faktorer som påverkar uppkomst av matsvinn i de kommunala skolköken och således utreda möjligheten till en effektivare resursanvändning genom tillämpning av styrningsverktyget lean. Metod: Studien vilar på ett hermeneutiskt perspektiv och har en abduktiv ansats. För datainsamling har en kvalitativ flerfallsstudie genomförts på tre olika skolor inom olika kommuner. Nio semistrukturerade intervjuer har kompletterats med observationer samt dokumentstudier, i syfte att uppnå en helhetsförståelse för kontexten. Slutsats: Studien visar att styrningsverktyget lean har potential att reducera matsvinn. Det har dock framkommit att den strategiska nivån av lean inte är enkelt tillämpbar i skolkök. Faktorer som tidsbrist, diffust kundbegrepp samt lagar och regleringar har identifierats begränsa dess applicerbarhet. Avseende den operationella nivån av lean har potential att reducera matsvinn genom implementering av utvalda leanverktyg identifierats, trots bristande tillämplighet av den strategiska nivån. / Background: A need to find strategies to reduce the negative environmental impact from food waste has been identified within the Swedish public sector. The daily plate waste in municipal school kitchen cost society millions and additional food waste occur during cooking. Profits are expected to be made through improved resource utilization within school kitchens. Due to the fact that the management tool lean previously has been applied in a number of different contexts, though with various results, it is interesting to study whether lean is possible and meaningful to implement in municipal school kitchens in order to reduce food waste. Purpose: The study aims to contribute to the understanding of factors affecting the generation of food waste in municipal school kitchens and therefore investigate the possibility of a more efficient use of resources by implementation of the management tool lean. Research Method: The study rest on a hermeneutic perspective and have an abductive approach. For data collection, a qualitative multiple case study on three different schools in different municipalities has been conducted. Nine semi-structured interviews have been supplemented with observations and document studies, in order to achieve a holistic understanding for the context. Conclusion: The study concludes that lean as a management tool has potential to reduce food waste. However, it has been found that the strategic level of lean can not easily be implemented in school kitchens. Factors like time constraints, a diffuse customer definition and laws and regulations primarily limit the strategic levels applicability. Regarding lean on an operational level, potential to reduce food waste by implementation of selected lean tools has been identified, despite the lack of applicability of the strategic level.

Detta kandidatarbete kommer undersöka hur vi designar en smart applikation i köket för att bidra till ett minskat matslöseri. Vi går in i undersökningen med frågan “Hur kan en smart applikation i köket göra vardagen trevligare och lättare, samt bidra till ett minskat matslöseri?”. Vi forskar inom matslöseri, smarta hem, smarta kylskåp och QR-koder. Utifrån denna forskning designar vi upp en prototyp för ett smart kök i form av en applikation. Vi bildar en egen uppfattning på konceptet det smarta köket. Det kommer finnas en genomgång på hur vi gestaltar vår lösning till frågeställningen och vilka metoder som använts för att komma fram till slutresultatet. / This Bachelor Thesis will examine how to design a smart appliance in the kitchen to help reduce food waste. We go into the survey with the question "How can a smart application in the kitchen make the living day more enjoyable and easier, as well as contribute to a reduced food waste?". We research in food waste, smart homes, smart refrigerators and QR codes. Based on this research, we design a prototype for a smart kitchen in the form of a mobile application. We form our own perception of the concept of the smart kitchen. There will be a review of how we shape our solution to the question and the methods used to arrive at the final result.

Food waste is a major environmental issue. It takes electricity, water, and energy to produce food, to store it, to refrigerate it, to transport it and to prepare it. If for some reason the food is then not consumed, it goes to landfill, where it produces greenhouse gases. The fact that food waste is a significant contributor to the tourism industry’s negative impact on the environment has not received as much attention from tourism academics as one could expect, given the magnitude of the problem in tourism, neither has it been given much attention on how to handle it. This study therefore looks into ways to alter consumer food waste as well as identifying the opportunities of food service strategies that allow reducing food waste, while at the same time maintaining the quality of the service at a hotel in Kalmar. The research used social practice theory (SPT) and the concept of service quality as a theoretical framework to guide the collection as well as the analysis. The empirical work of this study consists of two phases, where firstly an exploratory phase was conducted to measure food waste from the breakfast buffet and to conduct a customer survey to point out possible initiatives to reduce food waste. The responses and results were then further analyzed to find patterns and themes which formed the explanatory phase, focusing on assessing the interest of hotel management to adopt solutions reducing food wasted from the breakfast service. The results and analysis proved that most participants, whether consumers or providers, already have a general idea of what sustainable food consumption means as well as engaging in sustainable practices and behaviors. The analysis of the results through the framework of SPT revealed that the factors that motivate participants to engage in sustainable behaviors resonate more to sustainable consumption rather than reducing the consumption, which can be a reason for the vast amount of food waste. However, the results revealed that though there is a growing movement towards reducing food waste as well as straightforward strategies that can be implemented to reduce food waste, there is still a need to try and change the fundamental behaviors to become more sustainable in that matter.