Discussion on the Reuse of Suboptimal Food Through the Perspective of Sustainable Food Circle

The primary source of food waste is all due to the ingredients’ defects, which consumers do not favor. There are three categories: poor visual appearance, damaged packaging, and expiration date food, which lead to unnecessary food waste. This research hopes to discuss the solution of suboptimal food reuse through the perspective of sustainable development and the problem of food waste. The method mainly adopts literature analysis, the KJ (Kawakita Jiro) method, and interviews. Through the department of design, students converged the reuse solution through the KJ method. Five concept samples with poor visual appearance, as well as four concept samples each for damaged packaging and expiration date food were extracted. After the evaluation of concept samples by scholars, some solutions were put forward, including the best solution for poor visual appearance is “reuse of pet vegetable biscuits,” the best solution for reuse of damaged packaging is “planning of reduced packaging promotion activities,” and the best solution for expiration date food reuse is the “planning and design of store commodity management platform.” In addition, after cross-comparison with the best solutions of the three categories through the critical summary of the interviews, they all correspond to each other. In terms of the overall design strategy for reusing suboptimal food, three main application strategies were summarized: (1) the application of the concept of sustainable circulation, (2) the consumer’s point of view as the center, and (3) thinking about the utilization of food materials. The results of this study can be used as a reference for designers to make relevant designs and also as a reference for industries and governments in formulating strategies for sustainable development goals in food projects. At the same time, it hopes to provide scholars engaged in sustainable design research with a foundation for subsequent studies to promote a sustainable food circle.