title: Processing- and product-related causes for food waste and implications for the food supply chain.
abstract: Reducing food waste is one of the prominent goals in the current research, which has also been set by the United Nations to achieve a more sustainable world by 2030. Given that previous studies mainly examined causes for food waste generation related to consumers, e.g., expectations regarding quality or uncertainties about edibility, this review aims at providing an overview on losses in the food industry, as well as on natural mechanisms by which impeccable food items are converted into an undesired state. For this, scientific literature was reviewed based on a keyword search, and information not covered was gathered by conducting expert interviews with representatives from 13 German food processing companies. From the available literature, three main areas of food waste generation were identified and discussed: product deterioration and spoilage during logistical operations, by-products from food processing, and consumer perception of quality and safety. In addition, expert interviews revealed causes for food waste in the processing sector, which were categorised as follows: losses resulting from processing operations and quality assurance, and products not fulfilling quality demands from trade. The interviewees explained a number of strategies to minimise food losses, starting with alternative tradeways for second choice items, and ending with emergency power supplies to compensate for power blackouts. It became clear that the concepts are not universally applicable for each company, but the overview provided in the present study may support researchers in finding appropriate solutions for individual cases.
authors.affiliation: Chair of Food Engineering, Technische Universität Dresden, Bergstraβe 120, 01062 Dresden, Germany. Electronic address: norbert.raak@tu-dresden.de.
authors.forename: Norbert
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Raak
authors.affiliation: Chair of Food Engineering, Technische Universität Dresden, Bergstraβe 120, 01062 Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Symmank
authors.affiliation: Chair of Food Engineering, Technische Universität Dresden, Bergstraβe 120, 01062 Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: Susann
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zahn
authors.affiliation: MAPP - Centre for Research on Customer Relations in the Food Sector, Aarhus University, Bartholinsalle 10, 8000 Aarhus, Denmark.
authors.forename: Jessica
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Aschemann-Witzel
authors.affiliation: Chair of Food Engineering, Technische Universität Dresden, Bergstraβe 120, 01062 Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: Harald
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Rohm
mesh_terms: D003611:Dairy Products; D005511:Food Handling; D018857:Food Packaging; D063427:Food Quality; D059022:Food Safety; D061353:Food Storage; D005523:Food Supply; D005525:Food-Processing Industry / Q000379:methods*; D005638:Fruit; D006801:Humans; D014675:Vegetables; D018505:Waste Management / Q000379:methods*
keywords: By-products; Expert interview; Food losses; Food processing; Food waste; Literature review; Suboptimal food