New insights in food security and environmental sustainability through waste food management

Nazrana Rafique Wani; Rauoof Ahmad Rather; Aiman Farooq; Shahid Ahmad Padder; Tawseef Rehman Baba; Sanjeev Sharma; Nabisab Mujawar Mubarak; Afzal Husain Khan; Pardeep Singh; Shoukat Ara

doi:10.1007/s11356-023-26462-y

New insights in food security and environmental sustainability through waste food management

Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2024 Mar;31(12):17835-17857. doi: 10.1007/s11356-023-26462-y. Epub 2023 Mar 29.

Affiliations

¹ Division of Food Science and Technology, Sher-E-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, 190025, India.
² Division of Environmental Sciences, Sher-E-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, 190025, India. rouf.haq@gmail.com.
³ Division of Basic Science and Humanities, Sher-E-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, 190025, India.
⁴ Division of Fruit Science, Sher-E-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, 190025, India.
⁵ Centre for the Study of Regional Development (CSRD), School of Social Sciences-III, Jawaharlal Nehru University, 110 067, New Delhi, India.
⁶ Petroleum and Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Brunei, Bandar Seri Begawan, BE1410, Brunei Darussalam.
⁷ Department of Civil Engineering, College of Engineering, Jazan University, PO Box. 706, Jazan, 45142, Saudi Arabia.
⁸ PGDAV, College, University of Delhi, Delhi, India.
⁹ Division of Environmental Sciences, Sher-E-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, 190025, India.

Abstract

Food waste has been identified as one of the major factors that constitute numerous anthropogenic activities, especially in developing countries. There is a growing problem with food waste that affects every part of the waste management system, from collection to disposal; finding long-term solutions necessitates involving all participants in the food supply chain, from farmers and manufacturers to distributors and consumers. In addition to food waste management, maintaining food sustainability and security globally is crucial so that every individual, household, and nation can always get food. "End hunger, achieve food security and enhanced nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture" are among the main challenges of global sustainable development (SDG) goal 2. Therefore, sustainable food waste management technology is needed. Recent attention has been focused on global food loss and waste. One-third of food produced for human use is wasted every year. Source reduction (i.e., limiting food losses and waste) and contemporary treatment technologies appear to be the most promising strategy for converting food waste into safe, nutritious, value-added feed products and achieving sustainability. Food waste is also employed in industrial processes for the production of biofuels or biopolymers. Biofuels mitigate the detrimental effects of fossil fuels. Identifying crop-producing zones, bioenergy cultivars, and management practices will enhance the natural environment and sustainable biochemical process. Traditional food waste reduction strategies are ineffective in lowering GHG emissions and food waste treatment. The main contribution of this study is an inventory of the theoretical and practical methods of prevention and minimization of food waste and losses. It identifies the trade-offs for food safety, sustainability, and security. Moreover, it investigates the impact of COVID-19 on food waste behavior.

Keywords: Bioenergy; Biofuels; COVID-19; End hunger; GHG emissions; Minimization.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Biofuels
Conservation of Natural Resources
Food
Food Security
Humans
Refuse Disposal* / methods
Waste Management* / methods

Substances

Biofuels