In the EU, 88 million tonnes of food waste are thrown away every year. In addition
to the negative environmental impacts, food waste is a major financial and social
problem. Losses and surpluses occur at all stages of the chain, from primary
production to the final consumer. In order to effectively design food waste
prevention measures, this thesis starts by systematically mapping the sources of
food losses and surpluses according to each link in the chain. Based on the food
waste hierarchy possible measures or organisational options to prevent food waste
are presented in this thesis. In the second part of the MSc thesis, the newly
developed Food Waste Impact Calculator tool is presented, the main purpose of
which is to raise awareness and inform stakeholders about the benefits of food
waste prevention. The Impact Calculator allows for a quantitative evaluation of
the environmental, financial, and social burdens of food waste and the benefits of
its prevention. The use of the calculator is illustrated by two (existing) examples,
where the financial, environmental, and social benefits of food waste prevention
are assessed at the primary production (potato production) and retail (selling
bread). The development of the tool represents one of the first steps in addressing
the issue at hand, and at the same time highlights the potential for its further
extension.
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