Food Loss and Waste: Mixed Analysis from the Circular Food Economy

Food products have unique characteristics among economic sectors. They include perishability, several special requirements for storage and transport, and the availability of soils with specific conditions to obtain high-quality crops. Moreover, because more consumers have become interested recently in the origin and sustainability of their food, product design must be done in consideration not only of the product itself but of its environmental effects and related services. Therefore, sustainable product and service design cannot be separated in the food supply system. In this context, one sustainability topic, which has received special attention from consumers, governments, and other stakeholders recently, is food loss and waste (FLW) measurement and management. A direct relation exists between FLW and the second Sustainable Development Goal “Zero hunger.” Structured studies on this topic are relevant to support social improvement. However, food chain stakeholders face several difficulties when adopting techniques and methods, such as a circular economy, when wanting to obtain sustainable profit from FLW. For that reason, a case study was conducted in Colombia as a mixed analysis of FLW and how to use food effectively to feed society better. Results show that the main obstacles to a Circular Food Economy are gaps between the requirements of consumers, training of farmers, and market design, uncertainty about where FLW occurs, and lack of efficient access to transportation. Key factors identified for adopting circular initiatives are tax reduction, governmental incentives, ICT adoption, and lack of interdisciplinary design of public policies. Also, even though regional food insecurity has increased because of COVID-19, huge amounts of new food products and services have been created as a result of the pandemic restrictions.