Food Waste and Correlated Impact in the Food Industry. A Simulative Approach

Abstract

The phenomenon of food waste appears generated and highly relevant in many industrialised countries with reference to perishable products such as meat and poultry, fruits and fresh vegetables, beverage items, and milk/dairy foods. Other perishable or highly perishable food products—eggs, fish, prepared meals, bakery products—should be considered in this ambit. The higher the number of different items on the market and in the complete food supply chain, the higher the danger of wasted products because of the loss of acceptability requirements during shelf life. Consequently, adequate countermeasures against food waste should take into account the problem of perishability. On the other side, and by a regulatory viewpoint, foods on the market have to be safe, legal, and correspondent to the claim(s) reported on labels. From a practical and industrial perspective, food waste could suggest the reuse and recycling of foods and beverages, provided that certain and minimal safety requirements are maintained. This chapter shows a simulation concerning a particular food product—a melted cheese—in five versions. Recycling may be good enough when speaking of food waste countermeasures and price reduction, but there is no demonstration that needful people can effectively take advantage of this system because food recycling occurs usually in a few and limited areas. On the contrary, On the other hand, food sharing should be considered as a distinctive advantage for food consumers as part of a more complex and multi-operational strategy.