# Food Waste–Derived Organic Fertilizers: Critical Insights, Agronomic Impacts, and Pathways for Sustainable Adoption

## TL;DR

This paper reviews how turning food waste into organic fertilizers can help reduce waste and support sustainable farming, while also highlighting the challenges and risks involved.

## Contribution

The paper provides a comprehensive review of food waste-derived fertilizers, emphasizing their agronomic impacts and pathways for sustainable adoption.

## Key findings

- FWOFs can improve soil organic matter, water retention, and micronutrient supply.
- Risks include heavy metals, microplastics, and pathogen survival in fertilizers.
- Outcomes vary due to differences in feedstocks, processing, and application methods.

## Abstract

Food waste is one of the fastest growing sustainability challenges, wasting scarce resources and aggravating environmental degradation. Its valorization into organic fertilizers provides a critical opportunity to recover nutrients, reduce landfill burdens, and strengthen circular bioeconomy strategies. This review critically examines FW‐derived organic fertilizers (FWOFs) across four major conversion routes including composting, vermicomposting, anaerobic digestion, and pyrolysis and also evaluates their impacts on soil health, nutrient cycling, crop yield and quality, and environmental trade‐offs. We emphasize that while FWOFs offer multiple benefits, outcomes remain highly variable due to heterogeneity in feedstocks, processing methods, and application practices. Evidence highlights the strong potential for improving soil organic matter, water retention, and micronutrient supply but also raises unresolved risks from heavy metals, microplastics, and the survival of pathogens. By integrating multiscale evidence, this review provides a fertilizer‐focused perspective that identifies critical knowledge gaps, standardization needs, and adoption pathways. In conclusion, this work underscores both the opportunities and limitations of FWOFs, offering concise guidance for advancing sustainable agriculture and circular bioeconomy practices.