Introduction
The topic of food waste is an acute social problem associated with related issues, for instance, the huge difference in food consumption between developed and underdeveloped countries or diet quality. Assessing the reasons why people buy and then dispose of surplus foodstuffs can help identify educational gaps in the population and reduce the proportion of food wasted. Sustainability in consumer demand and factors related to the drivers of the issue will be examined through a qualitative study. Analysing the views of the participants involved in the research can help highlight appropriate behavioural stimuli and the ways of mitigating the problem.
Aim, Objectives and Research Questions
The aim of the proposed qualitative research is to identify the causes of food waste to subsequently make recommendations regarding population education and assess the factors associated with sustainability and diet quality. Several objectives are planned to be accomplished within the study:
- Collecting relevant data on food waste and the extent of the problem.
- Comparing the research findings to identify common trends in the issue acceptance.
- Assessing the problem prevalence on the example of the selected population.
- Identifying the main gaps related to the topic of food waste and diet quality.
As a background for conducting a literature review and subsequent interaction with the participants involved, the following research questions will be used:
- What incentives encourage people to purchase food in excess and dispose of it later?
- What knowledge is crucial to have to manage diet quality adequately?
- What are the consequences of food waste for humans and the environment?
Literature Review
Identifying sustainability as a critically important factor that determines the harmonious relationship between diet quality and food production is a common theme in various studies. Conrad et al. (2018), for instance, draw attention to environmental sustainability and note that food obtained through pre-human activities, such as harvesting, should be processed and consumed in the right amount. In the case of an imbalance, which, as a rule, occurs due to food waste, harmony is disturbed, which, in turn, leads to a loss of sustainability. Along with natural factors, economic, healthcare and other dimensions are essential to consider to reason about such a balance (Sustainability, no date). Otherwise, the threat of instability arises, which is fraught with both social problems, such as hunger and other difficulties associated with poor control over the food industry. The analysis of this topic is extremely important because, according to the available statistics, “one third of all food produced is lost or wasted” (Food waste, no date, para. 1). As a result, not only financial but also health problems arise caused by the irrational distribution of food on the planet.
As relevant practices to address low diet quality, various researchers offer approaches to assessing and calculating the required indicators. In their study, Hallström et al. (2018) research specific scores to identify food sustainability and its impact on human health. Miller et al. (2020) also touch on quantitative analysis and determine how detrimental malnutrition caused by poor diet quality can be to human health. The authors list diseases caused by malnutrition and pay particular attention to child health as an aspect influencing global health prospects (Miller et al., 2020). A similar study is performed by Prescott et al. (2019a), who also consider eating habits in young people and argue that appropriate education is a must in reinforcing correct dietary patterns and food consumption behaviours. In another study, Prescott et al. (2019b) focus on school meals and note that food waste is a characteristic gap in this sector due to a number of barriers, such as lack of time, poor assortment and some other reasons. Thus, food education is a hot topic to promote, particularly among young people.
In relation to the issue of food waste, findings from current resources suggest that there are different ways to maintain sustainability and prevent the disposal of surplus food. For instance, Munoz and Anthem (2021) suggest paying attention to the experience of residents of sub-Saharan Africa, where the population is developing post-production techniques, such as drying products. Lei and Shimokawa (2020) cite the activities of Chinese professionals who are involved in the process of overseeing the promotion of valuable dietary guidelines. In accordance with the authors’ findings, to promote public health, citizens are advised to shift the focus from the consumption of animal food to plant-based products by consuming fewer meat products and more vegetables and fruits (Lei and Shimokawa, 2020). Such recommendations are common, but from the perspective of food waste problems, this practice can also help improve the environment. Livestock and poultry production are reported to be responsible for “between 15 and 30% of UK greenhouse gas emissions” (Pettinger, no date, para. 11). As a result, by switching to healthier food, people can help not only themselves but also the environment.
The UK food market is experiencing challenges caused by food waste, and this topic has been raised in a number of studies. Tonini, Albizzati and Astrup (2018) state that choosing appropriate production datasets is an important condition to avoid overestimating the total food supply. The authors also directly link the issue of food waste in the UK with a high carbon footprint and suggest that efforts be focused on controlling production capacities (Tonini, Albizzati and Astrup, 2018). Dray (2021) confirms the aforementioned idea that most food waste comes from the activities of households and notes current initiatives to remedy the situation. Particularly, the researcher mentions the Food Waste Reduction Roadmap launched in 2018 and FareShare, a well-known British organisation involved in the recycling of wasted food (Dray, 2021). Although the indicators of food waste have decreased in the state in recent years, much work needs to be done. Jeswani, Figueroa-Torres and Azapagic (2021) argue that greater control over food supply chains in the UK is needed to achieve favourable outcomes. In general, following the outlined course, positive changes are possible in the country, but different stakeholders should make continuous efforts.
One of the main challenges of food waste management is the difficulty in controlling the ratio of production and consumption. According to Mavropoulos and Nilsen (2020, p. 139), the situation is as follows: “there is a growing need for more food, and consequently more food waste is expected”. In other words, the demand for foodstuffs is challenging to estimate from the perspective of consumption in exact volumes. Aschemann-Witzel et al. (2018) remark that consumers themselves are responsible for controlling the problem; planning, safety concerns, price orientation and some other factors are crucial to consider. Garcia-Oliveira et al. (2022) complement the discussion by describing agroecology as an industry that can help transform a faltering system and provide more accurate predictions about the balance between consumption and waste. Wakefield and Axon (2020), in turn, draw attention to the lack of education of citizens regarding food sustainability issues and, as a result, impaired dietary patterns. Therefore, more attention should be paid to the mass education of the population regarding these problems.
Additional solutions to the problems are also mentioned in the literature. Georganas et al. (2020) assess the prospects for technological developments and mention the possibilities for the efficient disposal of food waste by turning organic materials into animal feed. From a social standpoint, this is critical to reconsider consumers’ views on the features of the functioning of the food sector. One of the simplest mechanisms is a change in attitude to the problem; waste can be converted into raw materials and processors into producers (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2017). In addition, the topic of health is mandatory to take into account when analysing the aforementioned issues and prospects for their solution. Policymakers should work hard to ensure that as many people as possible have free access to plant-based foods and open information about dietary patterns (The world’s food system needs to change, 2022). Thus, by assessing the findings from the sources involved, one can note the significant prevalence of food waste and poor nutrition problems affecting the global economy and healthcare.
Data Collection
To answer the research questions posed, a qualitative method will be applied. This approach allows for obtaining the necessary information directly from stakeholders without resorting to complex calculations and, at the same time, assessing the range of the problem under consideration as objectively as possible. As a data collection tool, interviews will be conducted, which will include open-ended questions. The stated aim implies evaluating several parameters, particularly the relevance of food waste, its impacts on the environment and the degree of education of the population in the context of diet quality. As a result, responses like “yes” or “no” cannot be used for effective analysis. Therefore, open-ended questions will provide an opportunity to obtain comprehensive and objective answers from the respondents involved.
The target audience of the planned research is British families with at least one child. During the interviews, this is essential to assess adults’ awareness of food waste mechanisms and the concept of diet quality. However, this is equally important to determine what principles of nutrition are promoted in families and whether children adopt their parents’ eating habits. This aspect is critical to analyse in view of the aforementioned problem of the negative impact of poor nutritional control on children’s health.
Stratified sampling is the best practice for attracting targeted participants. The place of residence (the UK), marital status (married) and at least one child will be applied as selection criteria. To obtain objective results of the study, the number of participants should be at least 50, and both individual adults and spouses from the same family may be involved. Open-ended interviews will include at least 20 questions about the eating habits of the study group members, their knowledge of diet quality, and the principles of nurturing nutritional patterns in their children. By following this algorithm, the data will be subsequently compiled into a grand total that can help answer the stated research questions and draw conclusions about the relevance of the issues raised among British families.
Reference List
Aschemann-Witzel, J. et al. (2018) ‘Fine-tuning the fight against food waste’, Journal of Macromarketing, 38(2), pp. 168-184.
Conrad, Z. et al. (2018) ‘Relationship between food waste, diet quality, and environmental sustainability’, PloS One, 13(4), p. e0195405.
Dray, S. (2021) Food waste in the UK.
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2017) The future of food and agriculture – trends and challenges. Rome: FAO.
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García-Oliveira, P. et al. (2022) ‘Solutions for the sustainability of the food production and consumption system’, Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, 62(7), pp. 1765-1781.
Georganas, A. et al. (2020) ‘Bioactive compounds in food waste: a review on the transformation of food waste to animal feed’, Foods, 9(3), p. 291.
Hallström, E. et al. (2018) ‘Using dietary quality scores to assess sustainability of food products and human diets: a systematic review’, Ecological Indicators, 93, pp. 219-230.
Jeswani, H. K., Figueroa-Torres, G. and Azapagic, A. (2021) ‘The extent of food waste generation in the UK and its environmental impacts’, Sustainable Production and Consumption, 26, pp. 532-547.
Lei, L. and Shimokawa, S. (2020) ‘Promoting dietary guidelines and environmental sustainability in China’, China Economic Review, 59, p. 101087.
Mavropoulos, A. and Nilsen, A. W. (2020) Industry 4.0 and circular economy: towards a wasteless future or a wasteful planet? Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons.
Miller, V. et al. (2020) ‘Defining diet quality: a synthesis of dietary quality metrics and their validity for the double burden of malnutrition’, The Lancet Planetary Health, 4(8), pp. e352-e370.
Munoz, C. and Anthem, P. (2021) ‘11 facts about food loss and waste – and how it links to sustainable food systems’. ReliefWeb, 21 September. (Accessed: 25 May 2022).
Pettinger, C. (no date) ‘Sustainable eating: how Allied Health Professionals can reduce the environmental impact of food and diet’. Centre for Sustainable Healthcare.
Prescott, M. P. et al. (2019a) ‘Healthy planet, healthy youth: a food systems education and promotion intervention to improve adolescent diet quality and reduce food waste’, Nutrients, 11(8), p. 1869.
Prescott, M. P. et al. (2019b) ‘Resources, barriers, and tradeoffs: a mixed methods analysis of school pre-consumer food waste’, Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 119(8), pp. 1270-1283.
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Tonini, D., Albizzati, P. F. and Astrup, T. F. (2018) ‘Environmental impacts of food waste: learnings and challenges from a case study on UK’, Waste Management, 76, pp. 744-766.
Wakefield, A. and Axon, S. (2020) ‘“I’ma bit of a waster”: identifying the enablers of, and barriers to, sustainable food waste practices’, Journal of Cleaner Production, 275, p. 122803.