About the project
Food waste is a pervasive worldwide issue that is often overlooked. Food production requires the use of land, energy, and water, therefore, every instance in which food is produced without fulfilling its expected role, resources go to waste, and the environment is impacted unnecessarily. Furthermore, food distribution is expensive and CO2-intensive, furthering the damage to the economy and the ecosystem.
Food waste refers to any food that is discarded, incinerated, or otherwise disposed of along the food supply chain, which starts with harvest, slaughter, catch up to the retail level, and the food does not re-enter the supply chain for any other productive use, such as for feed or seed. To reduce the impact of food waste, food is often diverted to other functions. Both at the EU and national levels, legal guidelines and policies have been introduced to direct corporations to reduce food waste and help consumers to reduce their waste.
Goal
The goal is to assess the effectiveness of initiatives and incentives in an inter-European context that can better inform legislators in implementing guidelines and legislation for corporate actors to reduce food waste. The PhD project should be finished by August 2026.