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| {{complex|date=May 2012}}
| | #REDIRECT [[Food loss and waste]] |
| {{Orphan|date=December 2010}}
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| [[File:Food Waste - explained by simpleshow foundation.webm|thumb|A simple video explanation of food waste]] | |
| '''Food waste''' is [[food]] that is thrown away, either because it is not needed, or because it must be thrown away by law.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/waste/topics/pdf/ECJCaseLaw20090209.pdf |format=PDF| title = The Definition of Waste, Summary of European Court of Justice Judgments | publisher = [[Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs|Defra]] | year = Updated 2009 | accessdate = 2009-08-20 | quote = }}
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| :"Whether it is waste must be determined ... by comparison with the definition set out in Article 1(a) of Directive 75/442, as amended by Directive 91/156, that is to say the discarding of the substance in question or the intention or requirement to discard it"</ref><ref name="eu1975">{{cite web | url = http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:31975L0442:EN:HTML | title = Council Directive 75/442/EEC of 15 July 1975 on waste | publisher = [[EUR-Lex]] | year = 1975 | accessdate = 2009-08-20 | quote = }}
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| :"For the purposes of this Directive: (a) "waste" means any substance or object which the holder disposes of or is required to dispose of pursuant to the provisions of national law in force;" (Amended by Directive 91/156)</ref>
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| == Sources of food waste ==
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| === Food production ===
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| Large amounts of food waste can occur at any stage in the process of producing food.<ref name="kantor3">Kantor, p. 3.</ref> In [[subsistence agriculture]], the amounts of food waste are unknown. Very likely, very little food is wasted, because food is produced because of a need for food. In the developed world, the food industry produces food for a [[Globalization|global marketplace]] demand.<ref>
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| {{cite book
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| | last = Waters
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| | first = Tony
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| | title = The Persistence of Subsistence Agriculture: life beneath the level of the marketplace
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| | publisher = Lexington Books
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| | year = 2007
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| | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=H1rHCaNFlIwC&lpg=PP1&ots=tc8ofNpnEF&dq=The%20Persistence%20of%20Subsistence%20Agriculture%3A%20life%20beneath%20the%20level%20of%20the%20marketplace&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q=&f=false
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| | accessdate = 2009-08-21}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title = Food Security | url = http://www.gaia-technology.com/sa/newsletters/newsletter.cfm?newsletterID=136&ID=0 | publisher = [[Scientific Alliance]] | year = 2009 | accessdate = 2009-08-21}}
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| :"… there is certainly a lot of waste in the system … Unless, that is, we were to go back to subsistence agriculture …"</ref>
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| [[File:Runoff of soil & fertilizer.jpg|left|thumb|alt=Water pours, from fields of green crop in the background, down a muddy bank towards the foreground|[[Severe weather|Severe]] or bad weather can cause losses of crop for all forms of outdoor agriculture]]
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| Research has been done to see where food waste occurred. The researchers looked at the food industry of the United States and found that food was wasted at the beginning of the food production.<ref name="kantor3" /> From planting, crops can be subjected to [[Pest (organism)|pest infestations]] and bad weather,<ref>
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| {{cite journal | |
| | last = Savary
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| | first = Serge
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| | coauthors = Laetitia Willocquet, Francisco A. Elazegui, Nancy P. Castilla, and Paul S. Teng
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| |date=March 2000
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|
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| | title = Rice pest constraints in tropical Asia: Quantification of yield losses due to rice pests in a range of production situations
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| | url = http://apsjournals.apsnet.org/doi/pdf/10.1094/PDIS.2000.84.3.357?cookieSet=1
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| | accessdate=2009-08-21
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| | doi = 10.1094/PDIS.2000.84.3.357?cookieSet=1}}</ref><ref>
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| {{cite journal
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| | last = Rosenzweig
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| | first = Cynthia
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| | coauthors = Ana Iglesias, X.B. Yang, Paul R. Epstein, and Eric Chivian
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| | year = 2001
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| | title = Climate change and extreme weather events, Implications for food production, plant diseases, and pests
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| | journal = Global Change and Human Health
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| |volume = 2
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| | url = http://www.springerlink.com/content/8frmxfdr3l592bej/fulltext.pdf?page=1 | accessdate = 2009-08-21
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| | quote = (Free preview, full article available for purchase)}}</ref> which cause losses before harvest.<ref name="kantor3" /> Natural forces such as temperature and rainfall are the main influences on the growth of crops. For this reason, all forms of outdoor agriculture is subject to losses beecause of these influences.<ref>
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| {{cite journal
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| | last = Haile
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| | first = Menghestab
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| | date = (Published online) 24 October 2005
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| | title = Weather patterns, food security and humanitarian response in sub-Saharan Africa
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| | journal = The Royal Society
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| | url = http://rstb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/360/1463/2169.full.pdf+html | accessdate = 2009-08-21
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| | doi = 10.1098/rstb.2005.1746
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| | volume = 360
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| | pages = 2169}}
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| :"… frequent extreme weather event such as droughts and floods that reduce agricultural outputs resulting in severe food shortages."</ref> The use of [[Agricultural machinery|machinery]] in harvesting can cause waste, as harvesters may be unable to discern between ripe and immature crops, or collect only part of a crop.<ref name="kantor3" /> Food is also wasted because it does not meet certain standards or regulations for quality and appearance<ref>{{cite web | title = Wonky fruit & vegetables make a comeback! | url = http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/public/story_page/054-57764-201-07-30-909-20090706STO57744-2009-20-07-2009/default_en.htm | publisher = [[European Parliament]] | year = 2009 | accessdate = 2009-08-21}}</ref> As a result, certain crops that do not meet these standards are not harvested; left in the field, they can provide fertilizer, or food for animals.<ref name="kantor3" />
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| === Food processing ===
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| It is unknown how much food waste occurs during food processing. When food is stored, considerable amounts are wasted because of [[pest]]s and [[microorganism]]s.<ref>Hall, p. 1.</ref> This problem occurs in countries where it is both relatively hot, and humid. These conditions boost the growth of pests and microorganisms.<ref name="foa1">{{cite web | title = Loss and waste: Do we really know what is involved? | url = http://www.fao.org/DOCREP/004/AC301E/AC301e02.htm | publisher = [[Food and Agriculture Organization]] | accessdate = 2009-08-23}}</ref> Extreme temperature, humidity, or microoganisms also influence the [[Nutrition|nutritional value]], [[Calorie|caloric value]] and edibility of crops<ref>
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| {{cite journal
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| |last = Lacey
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| |first = J.
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| |year = 1989
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| |title = Pre- and post-harvest ecology of fungi causing spoilage of foods and other stored products
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| |journal = Journal of Applied Bacteriology Symposium Supplement
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| |url = http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/fulltext/121369579/PDFSTART
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| |accessdate = 2009-08-22}}</ref> and account for food waste.<ref>Hall, p. 25.</ref><ref name="foa">{{cite web | title = Post-harvest system and food losses | url = http://www.fao.org/DOCREP/004/AC301E/AC301e03.htm | publisher = [[Food and Agriculture Organization]] | accessdate = 2009-08-23}}</ref> The "qualitative losses" are more difficult to assess than quantitative ones.<ref>Kader, p. 1.</ref> More losses occur because the food is not handled correctly, or because it loses weight or volume.<ref name="kantor3" /><ref>Hall, p. 18.</ref>
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| It is difficult to reduce some of the food waste produced by [[Food processing|processing]] without affecting the quality of the product.<ref>Oreopoulou, p. 3.</ref> Certain regulations concerning the safety of foods cause food to be wasted, before it even reaches the market.<ref>Kantor, pp. 3-4.</ref>
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| Safety regulations are in place to protect the health of the consumer. They are very important, especially where [[Animal source foods|foodstuffs of animal origin]] are processed. Contaminated products from these sources can lead to and are associated with [[Food microbiology|microbiological]] and [[Chemical hazard|chemical]] hazards.<ref>{{cite journal
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| |authorlink=International Finance Corporation
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| |year=2007
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| |title=Environmental, Health and Safety Guidelines for Meat Processing
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| |page = 2
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| |url=http://www.ifc.org/ifcext/enviro.nsf/AttachmentsByTitle/gui_EHSGuidelines2007_MeatProcessing/$FILE/Final+-+Meat+Processing.pdf
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| |format=PDF|accessdate=2009-08-29}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title = Specific hygiene rules for food of animal origin | url = http://europa.eu/legislation_summaries/food_safety/veterinary_checks_and_food_hygiene/f84002_en.htm | publisher = [[Europa (web portal)|Europa]] | year = 2009 | accessdate = 2009-08-29}}
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| :"Foodstuffs of animal origin … may present microbiological and chemical hazards"</ref>
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| Preventing health issues is more important than preventing food waste, or the reuse of foods that do not meet the standards.,<ref>{{cite book
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| |title=Food industry and the environment in the European Union: practical issues and cost implications
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| |last=Dalzell
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| |first=Janet M.
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| |year=2000
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| |publisher=Springer
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| |isbn=0834217198
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| |page=300
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| |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3j-xV3i5iY4C&pg=PA300&lpg=PA300&dq#v=onepage&q=&f=false
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| |accessdate=2009-08-29}}</ref>
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| == References ==
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| {{reflist|2}}
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| [[Category:Waste]]
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| [[Category:Food and drink]]
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