From waste to relief: unlocking the potential for food rescue in low- and middle-income countries

Food rescue has emerged as a promising approach to address the interrelated issues of food insecurity and food waste. According to the food waste hierarchy, the next best strategy after food waste prevention is to donate surplus food for human consumption. However, while some countries have well-est...

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Autores principales: Bodach, Susanne, Athukorala, Aruni Narmada, Wickramaarachchi, Hasintha
Formato: Conference Paper
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: 2023
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/132507
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author Bodach, Susanne
Athukorala, Aruni Narmada
Wickramaarachchi, Hasintha
author_browse Athukorala, Aruni Narmada
Bodach, Susanne
Wickramaarachchi, Hasintha
author_facet Bodach, Susanne
Athukorala, Aruni Narmada
Wickramaarachchi, Hasintha
author_sort Bodach, Susanne
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Food rescue has emerged as a promising approach to address the interrelated issues of food insecurity and food waste. According to the food waste hierarchy, the next best strategy after food waste prevention is to donate surplus food for human consumption. However, while some countries have well-established networks of charities and government support to promote surplus food donation and food rescue in most developing countries is often less structured and smaller in scale. To gain insights into the current landscape of food rescue, this study thoroughly examined existing food rescue operations and systems, mainly from the UK, Singapore, Malaysia, India, and the Philippines. The study also analysed several countries' food rescue policy environments to understand how an enabling environment can be created. A particular focus was set on food safety being a critical consideration when rescuing and donating surplus food. Simplified food safety guidelines, staff training, and adequate storage and transportation facilities are crucial to food safety. Effective partnerships between food rescue organizations, food businesses, government agencies, and other stakeholders are also critical to the success of food rescue efforts. The study found a need to develop such partnerships in developing countries, where they may be less established than in the Global North. To facilitate the development of an enabling environment for food rescue in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), the study developed a set of templates, including relevant food safety guidelines, partnership contracts, and policy templates. These resources can serve as valuable tools for stakeholders in LMICs to promote and enhance food rescue efforts that can help address food insecurity and reduce food waste.
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spelling CGSpace1325072024-11-07T09:52:44Z From waste to relief: unlocking the potential for food rescue in low- and middle-income countries Bodach, Susanne Athukorala, Aruni Narmada Wickramaarachchi, Hasintha food surplus food waste waste reduction circular economy food security partnerships food insecurity policies food safety guidelines regulations transport stakeholders developing countries Food rescue has emerged as a promising approach to address the interrelated issues of food insecurity and food waste. According to the food waste hierarchy, the next best strategy after food waste prevention is to donate surplus food for human consumption. However, while some countries have well-established networks of charities and government support to promote surplus food donation and food rescue in most developing countries is often less structured and smaller in scale. To gain insights into the current landscape of food rescue, this study thoroughly examined existing food rescue operations and systems, mainly from the UK, Singapore, Malaysia, India, and the Philippines. The study also analysed several countries' food rescue policy environments to understand how an enabling environment can be created. A particular focus was set on food safety being a critical consideration when rescuing and donating surplus food. Simplified food safety guidelines, staff training, and adequate storage and transportation facilities are crucial to food safety. Effective partnerships between food rescue organizations, food businesses, government agencies, and other stakeholders are also critical to the success of food rescue efforts. The study found a need to develop such partnerships in developing countries, where they may be less established than in the Global North. To facilitate the development of an enabling environment for food rescue in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), the study developed a set of templates, including relevant food safety guidelines, partnership contracts, and policy templates. These resources can serve as valuable tools for stakeholders in LMICs to promote and enhance food rescue efforts that can help address food insecurity and reduce food waste. 2023-09-20 2023-10-30T03:36:30Z 2023-10-30T03:36:30Z Conference Paper https://hdl.handle.net/10568/132507 en Open Access Bodach, Susanne; Athukorala, Aruni Narmada; Wickramaarachchi, Hasintha. 2023. From waste to relief: unlocking the potential for food rescue in low- and middle-income countries. Paper presented at the Annual International Conference on Research in Tropical and Subtropical Agriculture, Natural Resource Management and Rural Development (Tropentag) on Competing Pathways for Equitable Food Systems Transformation: Trade-Offs and Synergies, Berlin, Germany, 20-22 September 2023. 4p.
spellingShingle food surplus
food waste
waste reduction
circular economy
food security
partnerships
food insecurity
policies
food safety
guidelines
regulations
transport
stakeholders
developing countries
Bodach, Susanne
Athukorala, Aruni Narmada
Wickramaarachchi, Hasintha
From waste to relief: unlocking the potential for food rescue in low- and middle-income countries
title From waste to relief: unlocking the potential for food rescue in low- and middle-income countries
title_full From waste to relief: unlocking the potential for food rescue in low- and middle-income countries
title_fullStr From waste to relief: unlocking the potential for food rescue in low- and middle-income countries
title_full_unstemmed From waste to relief: unlocking the potential for food rescue in low- and middle-income countries
title_short From waste to relief: unlocking the potential for food rescue in low- and middle-income countries
title_sort from waste to relief unlocking the potential for food rescue in low and middle income countries
topic food surplus
food waste
waste reduction
circular economy
food security
partnerships
food insecurity
policies
food safety
guidelines
regulations
transport
stakeholders
developing countries
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/132507
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