Submitted Successfully!
To reward your contribution, here is a gift for you: A free trial for our video production service.
Thank you for your contribution! You can also upload a video entry or images related to this topic.
Version Summary Created by Modification Content Size Created at Operation
1
Alberto Paucar-Caceres
 + 1713 word(s) 1713 2022-01-18 10:04:58 |
2 format correct
Nora Tang
 -33 word(s) 1680 2022-01-28 06:45:12 |

Video Upload Options

Do you have a full video?
Send video materials Upload full video

Confirm

Are you sure to Delete?
Yes No
Cite
If you have any further questions, please contact Encyclopedia Editorial Office.
Paucar-Caceres, A. Strengthening Collaborative Food Waste Prevention in Peru. Encyclopedia. Available online: https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/18906 (accessed on 04 July 2024).
Paucar-Caceres A. Strengthening Collaborative Food Waste Prevention in Peru. Encyclopedia. Available at: https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/18906. Accessed July 04, 2024.
Paucar-Caceres, Alberto. "Strengthening Collaborative Food Waste Prevention in Peru" Encyclopedia, https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/18906 (accessed July 04, 2024).
Paucar-Caceres, A. (2022, January 27). Strengthening Collaborative Food Waste Prevention in Peru. In Encyclopedia. https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/18906
Paucar-Caceres, Alberto. "Strengthening Collaborative Food Waste Prevention in Peru." Encyclopedia. Web. 27 January, 2022.
Strengthening Collaborative Food Waste Prevention in Peru
Edit
This entry is adapted from the peer-reviewed paper 10.3390/su14031050

Inefficient management and handling of organic waste generated by the food service sector is a big global challenge. In addition to the negative environmental impacts of food waste, the effect of the amount of food that is wasted when it is not handled properly is even more alarming. 

food waste hospitality circular economy responsible consumption sustainability Peru

1. Introduction

A third of the food produced in the world is wasted; this is equivalent to 1.3 billion tons that are thrown away [1]. In Latin America and the Caribbean, this loss represents 15% of food produced per year [1]. In addition, according to the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) [2], in this same region, there has been an increase in the rate of poverty and extreme poverty, reaching 33.7% and 12.5%, 209 million and 78 million, respectively. This also translates to individuals and communities who do not have the resources to feed themselves. On the other hand, a study published by the FAO in 2013 estimated that food wasted or lost globally is equivalent to 250 km3 of water used, which represents 6% of the total water extracted and 30% of the land used for agricultural products in the world. Likewise, these wastes and losses represent 8% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions [3].
These figures have led to the elaboration of an ambitious but necessary universal agenda to guide the world towards environmental protection. The thrust is towards prosperity for all, among others, which is reflected in the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). According to SDG 12, the aim is to halve the amount of food waste per capita at the retail and consumer levels by 2030. Additionally, the problem of food waste is associated with the aims of SDGs 6 (Sustainable Water Management) and 13 (Climate Change) [4]. The latter is reinforced by the international treaty of the Paris Agreement, which establishes the objective of keeping the increase in global temperature below 2 °C (compared to pre-industrial levels) and to continue the effort to keep it below 1.5 °C as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, in Peru, 12.8 million tons of food are wasted annually, which represents 47.6% of the total national supply [5]. At the same time, by 2020, monetary poverty affected 30.1% of Peruvians, a percentage higher by 9.9 points than in 2019 [6]. These waste streams represent a large percentage of the total solid waste generated in the country, which, in turn, represents 3.51% of greenhouse gas emissions at the national level (6005.25 Gg CO2eq) [7]. Currently, Peru has expressed its commitment to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 30% (208.8 Mt CO2eq) by 2030. This is according to the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), which consider this and solid waste as priority agenda items [8][9].
In the regions of Lima and Tacna (central and southern Peru), some progress has been made regarding the management of solid waste. This is thanks to the Law of Integral Management of Solid Waste, approved by Legislative Decree No. 1278, where it is mentioned as urgent action for preventing and minimizing solid waste generation at the source and places greater emphasis on the material and energy recovery of waste [10]. Likewise, there are Law No. 30988—“Law that promotes the reduction and prevention of food losses and waste” and Law No. 30498—“Law that promotes the donation of food and facilitates the transport of donations in situations of natural disasters.”. These have given rise to private initiatives that propose mechanisms for the recovery of organic waste and also for transformation into value-added products destined for the animal feed industry and agriculture. One such initiative has been Sinba Sura SAC [11]. Through its environmental impact reports, this company has included important data on the generation of organic waste for restaurants and canteens within the hospitality and catering sector (Table 1).
Table 1. Average daily generation of organic waste, collected by Sinba Sura SAC in the period 2019–2021.
Sector Average Daily (kg)
Food Industry 96.86
Hospitality and Catering—Restaurants 81.08
Fuente: Sinba Sura SAC [2021].
Although there has been some progress, there is still much to be accomplished. This is particularly with regards to a progressive circular food economy (CfE). According to the food waste hierarchy, a circular economy applied to the food sector requires the prevention of all waste in the first place. In each instance, it would mean ensuring the use of any surplus food, held at its maximum value (e.g., food redistribution for humans or as by-products). This is opposed to simply dumping organic waste in a landfill (Ellen MacArthur Foundation) [12]. One recent report indicates that the world is only adhering to 8.6% in terms of such circular measures [3]. It therefore reinforces the urgency of accelerating the transition towards a nonlinear production system, in which materials and resources (such as water and energy) are kept at their highest value usage for as long as possible [13][14].
It also allows for achieving Peru’s NDC goals at a much faster rate. There are several variables that impede progress. One of these factors is the lack of awareness and guidance to management and other personnel at the top of the food service sector. This research seeks to contribute to this challenge by examining the situation of organic waste management on the part of restaurants and other food catering services in the cities of Lima and Tacna in Peru.

2. Food Waste Management

There are many theories that have attempted to tackle the complexity of diverse food variables involved in waste management. The literature confirms that food waste is a global problem. Furthermore, it has been reported that developed countries present greater food waste than developing countries, that is to say, that the generation of waste is actually related to the wealth of the countries [15]. The term “food losses” is related to the preparation and processing process, while the term “food waste” refers to waste in the distribution and consumption stages [16][17].
Within the food service sector, waste has a definite negative impact on the environment. For example, this could be especially if arable areas are used for food that will never be consumed. Likewise, within the hospitality and catering arena, food waste also means a loss of money for restaurants and other catering enterprises. This may be owed to the cost of the food; its high perishability as an organic resource; the cost of the worker; time spent in meal preparation and related overheads [18][19].
The implication here is that in order to study food waste management, questions should be addressed to those responsible for the restaurants. This also means an opportunity to investigate issues about the oversight of a particular business, information about the company, and the delivery of its meals and other products. It can lead to more in-depth knowledge about waste management on the part of the staff and actions taken by the restaurant (e.g., donations or reuse). These elements have been included as part of this present investigation [20].
In commenting specifically on food waste management, Teigiserova et al. [21] defined six different categories of food waste: edible, naturally inedible (bones), industrial waste, inedible due to causes (pests), inedibles due to ineffective handling, and those not counted. According to their research, these categories may be utilized in order to improve food quantification, general process management, and waste prevention.
Along the same lines, Wang et al. [22] conducted a study based on a direct weighing method and a survey of 3557 tables in 195 restaurants in 4 cities. Having assessed the amount and patterns of food waste in restaurants in China in 2015, they determined that the wasted material comprised mainly vegetables and rice. They also identified that waste varies according to consumer groups, restaurant categories, and cities. They especially noted that tourist restaurants discarded the most food.
For their part, Sakaguchi et al. [20] studied restaurants in Berkeley, CA, USA, and explained that the first effort at halting grocery wastage (before their expiration date) was to distribute them to their employees. They also indicated that 84% of restaurants used containers to store non-edible food waste and assigned it to compost. This is now more convenient as a result of a decrease in transportation costs since July 2015.
Filimonau et al. [23] inform about their interesting study, which shows that restaurants in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, do not measure the amounts of food wasted regularly. Moreover, they consider it “large but manageable” and “insignificant”. This suggests that neither the environmental implications nor the harmful social problems of food waste are being considered. It also implies a clear efficiency deficit in restaurant management. Unfortunately, the relevant government support to help reduce barriers to minimize hospitality food waste and to promote industry participation does not seem to be in place.
In this regard, Närvänen et al. [24] explained that emerging companies in food waste recollection represent a timely solution in the transition towards a circular economy. This is because they are facilitating change at the institutional bases of normative and cognitive–cultural pillars of society. They explain that their empowerment and participation of these actors’ progress collective effort. This is key for achieving change.
On the other hand, in the research by Wen et al. [25], an internet system for the management of food waste in restaurants was implemented in the urban area of Suzhou, China. This activity took place from 2012 to 2015, and 6265 catering companies participated. The initiative allowed for the tagging of containers, which were then collected by ‘smart’ garbage trucks. The latter were specially equipped with radio frequency identification readers, weight sensors, GPS, GIS, and wireless video surveillance cameras. This experiment facilitated the online monitoring of recovered products and pollutant emissions in real-time.
Finally, with respect to all of the above, the literature introduces the circular economy as a system for maximizing the use of organic resources in hospitality and food services. As noted earlier, this production and consumption model requires conserving the value of a product. In this case, it may involve food preservation actions such as: reducing, reusing, recycling, regenerating, and renewing materials. These actions connote a shift to sustainable food systems and economic development. In making this connection between food businesses and circular practice, Dahiya et al. [26] also considered food waste as a sustainable strategy for the circular economy. According to their perspective, the idea would be to use all organic waste as renewable raw materials and to generate a spectrum of bio-based products through various bioprocesses.

References

  1. Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Alimentación y la Agricultura . Pérdidas y Desperdicios de Alimentos en América Latina y el Caribe. 2014. Available online: http://www.fao.org/americas/noticias/ver/es/c/239393/ (accessed on 12 July 2021).
  2. Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe . Panorama Social de América Latina 2020; Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe : Santiago, Chile, 2021.
  3. Circle Economy. The Circularity Gap Report. 2021. Available online: https://www.circularity-gap.world/2021#downloads (accessed on 4 July 2021).
  4. Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Alimentación y la Agricultura . El Estado Mundial de la Agricultura y la Alimentación. Progresos en la Lucha Contra la Pérdida y el Desperdicio de Alimentos. Roma, 2019. Available online: http://www.fao.org/3/ca6030es/ca6030es.pdf (accessed on 15 July 2021).
  5. Bedoya-Perales, N.S.; Dal’ Magro, G.P. Quantification of food losses and waste in peru: A mass flow analysis along the food supply chain. Sustainability 2021, 13, 2807.
  6. Instituto Nacional de Estadística e Informática . Pobreza Monetaria Alcanzó al 30.1% de la Población del país Durante el año 2020. 2021. Available online: https://www.inei.gob.pe/prensa/noticias/pobreza-monetaria-alcanzo-al-301-de-la-poblacion-del-pais-durante-el-ano-2020-12875/ (accessed on 6 July 2021).
  7. Ministerio del Ambiente . Tercera Comunicación Nacional del Perú a la Convención Marco de las Naciones Unidas sobre el Cambio Climático. Lima, 2016. Available online: https://sinia.minam.gob.pe/documentos/tercera-comunicacion-nacional-peru-convencion-marco-las-naciones (accessed on 30 June 2021).
  8. Gobierno del Perú. Contribuciones Determinadas a Nivel Nacional del perú Reporte de Actualización Periodo 2021–2030. 2020. Available online: https://www4.unfccc.int/sites/ndcstaging/PublishedDocuments/PeruFirst/ReportedeActualizacióndelasNDCdelPerú.pdf (accessed on 30 June 2021).
  9. Ministerio del Ambiente . La Contribución Nacional del Perú-iNDC: Agenda Para un Desarrollo Climáticamente Responsable. 2016. Available online: https://www.minam.gob.pe/cambioclimatico/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2015/12/LA-CONTRIBUCIÓN-NACIONAL-DEL-PERÚ1.pdf (accessed on 30 June 2021).
  10. Presidencia de la República del Perú. Decreto Legislativo N° 1278. Ley de Gestión Integral de Residuos Sólidos. Diario Oficial El Peruano, 2016. Available online: https://busquedas.elperuano.pe/download/url/decreto-legislativo-que-aprueba-la-ley-de-gestion-integral-d-decreto-legislativo-n-1278-1466666-4 (accessed on 1 July 2021).
  11. Sinba Sura SAC. Sinba—Por un Mundo sin Basura—Empresa Socioambiental. 2021. Available online: https://sinba.pe/ (accessed on 6 July 2021).
  12. Ellen MacArthur Foundwation. Cities and a Circular Economy for Food. 2009. Available online: https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/assets/downloads/Cities-and-Circular-Economy-for-Food_280119.pdf (accessed on 20 October 2021).
  13. European Commission. Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions. Closing the loop—An EU action plan for the Circular Economy. Brussels, 2015. Available online: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/resource.html?uri=cellar:8a8ef5e8-99a0-11e5-b3b7-01aa75ed71a1.0012.02/DOC_1&format=PDF (accessed on 10 July 2021).
  14. Carus, M.; Dammer, L. The Circular Bioeconomy—Concepts, Opportunities, and Limitations. Ind. Biotechnol. 2018, 14, 83–91.
  15. Secondi, L.; Principato, L.; Laureti, T. Household food waste behaviour in EU-27 countries: A multilevel analysis. Food Policy 2015, 56, 25–40.
  16. Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Alimentación y la Agricultura . Global Food Losses and Food Waste—Extent, Causes and Prevention. Roma, 2011. Available online: http://www.fao.org/3/i2697e/i2697e.pdf (accessed on 12 July 2021).
  17. Kummu, M.; de Moel, H.; Porkka, M.; Siebert, S.; Varis, O.; Ward, P.J. Lost food, wasted resources: Global food supply chain losses and their impacts on freshwater, cropland, and fertiliser use. Sci. Total Environ. 2012, 438, 477–489.
  18. Parfitt, J.; Barthel, M.; Macnaughton, S. Food waste within food supply chains: Quantification and potential for change to 2050. Philos. Trans. R. Soc. B Biol. Sci. 2010, 365, 3065–3081.
  19. Garrone, P.; Melacini, M.; Peergo, A.; Pollo, M. Opening the Black Box of Food Waste Reduction. Food Policy 2014, 46, 129–139.
  20. Sakaguchi, L.; Pak, N.; Potts, M.D. Tackling the issue of food waste in restaurants: Options for measurement method, reduction and behavioral change. J. Clean. Prod. 2018, 180, 430–436.
  21. Teigiserova, D.; Hamelin, L.; Thomsen, M. Towards transparent valorization of food surplus, waste and loss: Clarifying definitions, food waste hierarchy, and role in the circular economy. Sci. Total Environ. 2020, 706, 136033.
  22. Wang, L.-E.; Liu, G.; Liu, X.; Liu, Y.; Gao, J.; Zhou, B.; Gao, S.; Cheng, S. The weight of unfinished plate: A survey based characterization of restaurant food waste in Chinese cities. Waste Manag. 2017, 66, 3–12.
  23. Filimonau, V.; Fidan, H.; Alexieva, I.; Dragoev, S.; Marinova, D.D. Restaurant food waste and the determinants of its effective management in Bulgaria: An exploratory case study of restaurants in Plovdiv. Tour. Manag. Perspect. 2019, 32, 100577.
  24. Närvänen, E.; Mattila, M.; Mesiranta, N. Institutional work in food waste reduction: Start-ups’ role in moving towards a circular economy. Ind. Mark. Manag. 2021, 93, 605–616.
  25. Wen, Z.; Hu, S.; De Clercq, D.; Beck, M.B.; Zhang, H.; Zhang, H.; Fei, F.; Liu, J. Design, implementation, and evaluation of an Internet of Things (IoT) network system for restaurant food waste management. Waste Manag. 2018, 73, 26–38.
  26. Dahiya, S.; Kumar, A.N.; Shanthi Sravan, J.; Chatterjee, S.; Sarkar, O.; Mohan, S.V. Food waste biorefinery: Sustainable strategy for circular bioeconomy. Bioresour. Technol. 2018, 248, 2–12.
More
© Text is available under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.
Upload a video for this entry
Information
Subjects: Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Contributor MDPI registered users' name will be linked to their SciProfiles pages. To register with us, please refer to https://encyclopedia.pub/register :
Alberto Paucar-Caceres
View Times: 643
Entry Collection: Environmental Sciences
Revisions: 2 times (View History)
Update Date: 28 Jan 2022
Table of Contents
    1000/1000
    Hot Most Recent
    Video Production Service
    Feedback