New methodology for facilitating the food wastage quantification. Identifying gaps and data inconsistencies

TL;DR

This paper introduces a new adaptable methodology for quantifying food waste across the agrifood chain, integrating local data to improve accuracy and decision-making at various territorial levels.

Contribution

It presents a novel, easy-to-interpret approach that addresses data gaps and inconsistencies in food waste quantification according to European standards.

Findings

Provides a flexible methodology adaptable to local circumstances

Enhances accuracy of food waste data at municipal and national levels

Facilitates decision-making for food waste reduction strategies

Abstract

The work aims at providing a new methodology to facilitate the process of quantifying the food waste according to European standards all along the agrifood chain combining information that is becoming available at local level. This new methodology generates straightforward and easy-to-interpret results for the decision making process in the framework of the quantification of the food waste at local and supralocal scale and it provides adequate procedures which are easy adaptable to the specific circumstances in each municipality. Moreover, this method could have applications for larger territorial contexts, as the national scale, detecting possible points for improvement of the current official figures at this respect.