Survey of Systemic Food Waste Generation Causes in Latvian Retail, Catering, and Households

Description

United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 12.3 aims to halve food waste generation by 2030. Food waste is associated with 8-10% of global greenhouse gas emissions, the main cause of climate change. There is insufficient qualitative and quantitative data to comprehensively understand the amount and causes of food waste generation, measure progress, and propose tangible targets and measures to reduce or prevent food waste not only in Latvia, but also globally. Data is scarcely distributed across different stages of the food supply chain.
With this study, we aim to contribute to new knowledge in the field by assessing the socio-economic context of food waste generation in Latvian retail, catering and households, which are the source of food waste.
The specific objectives of this study are to improve understanding of food consumption behavior, capture socio-economic differences, extract systemic causes of food waste generation, and collect information on some existing solutions already used to reduce or prevent food waste generation. The study also aims to understand how food suppliers and consumers perceive the issue of food waste, and do they recognize food waste as a climate change cause.
For this study, we conducted two separate surveys: one for the retail and catering enterprises and the other for households. The survey questions were formulated not only according to sectoral differences but also to capture the systemic interlinkages between these food system stakeholders.
The results of the study fill the knowledge gap of systemic food waste generation causes in Latvia. The results are important to develop and implement efficient food prevention measures at a systemic intersectoral level, and thus also help in reducing the climate change pressures.

Period	29 Mar 2023 → 31 Mar 2023
Event title	RSU Research week 2023: PLACES
Event type	Conference
Conference number	3
Organiser	Rīga Stradiņš University
Location	Rīga, LatviaShow on map
Degree of Recognition	International