JAFSCD peer-reviewed article by Simon Popay, Nigel Baker, James Bennett, and Moya Kneafsey (Coventry U)
Looking ahead, global food demand is set to double by 2050. Yet increasing production is constrained by slowing yield growth, limited arable land, global warming, and other environmental limits. Given these constraints on increased production, reducing food loss and waste (FLW) is an important step in addressing the world’s food security concerns. In this JAFSCD From the Vault article, the authors introduce the concept of net yield efficiency (NYE) as a tool for measuring the efficiency of food systems in both producing and distributing food. This research draws from a master’s thesis undertaken by the late Nigel Baker.
Food loss and waste has been defined as “a decrease at all stages of the food chain from harvest to consumption, in mass, of food that was originally intended for human consumption, regardless of the cause.” Food losses occur prior to the point of consumption, while waste occurs at the point of consumption. This definition can be widened to include potential food diverted to other purposes, such as meat production, biofuels, and other industrial needs. It can also include overconsumption and the consumption of highly processed, nutrient-deficient “empty calories.” There are fundamental conceptual problems with FLW, which the authors can only address briefly in their JAFSCD From the Vault article, Net yield efficiency: Comparing salad and vegetable waste between community supported agriculture and supermarkets in the UK.
KEY FINDINGS
Most attempts to measure FLW begin with all food grown or raised for human consumption. Tracking down such data is complex. At its most basic level, it involves knowing what is grown, how much leaves the farm, how much reaches the food processor, how much reaches the market, and how much is wasted by consumers. In measuring FLW along the food supply chain, an important consideration is to avoid including material that is genuinely inedible. This study illustrates the value of a food systems approach and NYE in comparing conventional and alternative food systems. By looking at the food system as a whole, the authors can add less FLW and a higher NYE as potentially important advantages of alternative food systems.
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR POLICY, PRACTICE, AND RESEARCH
This small study, looking at one local food scheme feeding 150 families, gives a glimpse of a way of producing and distributing food that minimizes associated food loss and waste. The concept of NYE offers a simple way to combine yield and FLW. It contributes to the need for studies that explore structural elements in food waste and use objective measures of household waste. It may also serve as a starting point for further development of a measure of systemwide efficiency, for example by including nutrient losses through food processing and incorporating overconsumption.
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Food loss and waste in the UK are analyzed in our latest From the Vault article. What is the best for community and the environment: Community Supported Agriculture or Supermarkets? And how can we measure food loss vs. food waster? Find out in our @JAFSCD From the Vault article for free: https://doi.org/10.5304/jafscd.2019.084.013
