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An analysis of a community food waste stream

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Abstract

Food waste comprises a significant portion of the waste stream in industrialized countries, contributing to ecological damages and nutritional losses. Guided by a systems approach, this study quantified food waste in one U.S. County in 1998–1999. Publications and personal interviews were used to quantify waste from food production, processing, distribution, and consumption. Approximately 10,205 tons of food waste was generated annually in this community food system. Of all food waste, production waste comprised 20%, processing 1%, distribution 19%, and 60% of food waste was generated by consumers. Less than one-third (28%) of total food waste was recovered via composting (25%) and food donations (3%), and over 7,000 tons (72%) were landfilled. More than 8.8 billion kilocalories of food were wasted, enough to feed county residents for 1.5 months. This case study offers an example of procedures to quantify and compare food waste across a whole community food system.

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Abbreviations

NSWMA:

National Solid Waste Management Association

USDA:

United States Department of Agriculture

EPA:

Environmental Protection Agency

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Acknowledgements

An earlier version of this study was presented at the annual meeting of the Agriculture, Food, and Human Values Society. The authors thank the community participants who provided information for this project.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Arnot Ogden Medical Center, Elmira, NY, USA

    Mary Griffin

  2. Division of Nutritional Sciences, Cornell University, 303 MVR Hall, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA

    Jeffery Sobal

  3. Department of Development Sociology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA

    Thomas A. Lyson

Authors
  1. Mary Griffin
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  2. Jeffery Sobal
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  3. Thomas A. Lyson
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Correspondence to Jeffery Sobal.

Additional information

Thomas A. Lyson—Deceased.

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Griffin, M., Sobal, J. & Lyson, T.A. An analysis of a community food waste stream. Agric Hum Values 26, 67–81 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10460-008-9178-1

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