Food waste - Patterns of perception and behaviour in the disposal of foodstuffs along the value chain
Final Report Abstract
The fight against food waste was formulated in 2015 to promote sustainable consumption (Goal 12) as one of 17 global sustainability goals of the United Nations within the framework of the Agenda2030, in order to perspectively improve the natural livelihoods of mankind and to counteract the waste of labor, finances and natural resources. Studies on this were carried out between 2020 and 2023 using the Schleswig-Holstein region, Germany, as a case study. Using qualitative and quantitative research methods in the form of expert interviews, focus group discussions and household surveys, relevant groups of actors were analyzed with regard to their attitudes, action patterns and avoidance strategies on the topic of food disposal. The focus was on three research questions that were intended to identify patterns of attitudes toward food waste, the practical handling of food waste, and sources of information on the avoidance of food waste in private households. Upstream of private households as the largest source of food waste, primary producers and representatives of the retail trade, and downstream of private households, waste management companies and food banks were examined in order to identify their potential influence on the extent of food waste in private households or the consequences of a reduced volume of food waste for their activities. Quantitative waste analyses were not part of the study. Local producers of fresh produce and retailers are explicitly aware of the issue of food waste and food loss, also for their own economic benefit, in order to offer their customers a variety of educational measures and communication channels to avoid food waste. Nevertheless, this source of information is never used by almost 50% of the respondents. Household surveys and group discussions show that the way people deal with food in their own households is shaped by complex patterns of attitudes, interest in sustainable shopping and biographical experiences and cannot be explained solely by demographic and social indicators. Four clusters of attitudes could be identified, to which compatible practical references in dealing with food and food waste could be assigned. In some cases, it is evident that the topic of food waste is either suppressed or met with reactance. A response rate of 13.2% of questionnaires in rural and urban regions and the niche interest of waste management companies in addressing the issue of food waste in their waste prevention strategies clearly show that the topic had not yet reached the social focus at the time of the surveys against the background of other crises such as COVID19. Discussions with food banks indicate that the assessment of when and for whom food waste even exists is subject to a high degree of fluidity and can become a social good.
Publications
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Lebensmittelverschwendung: räumliche Implikationen und neue Forschungsagenda. In: Berichte des Arbeitskreises Geographische Handelsforschung 48, S. 56-69.
Jürgens, U.
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Abfallwirtschaftsbetriebe in Schleswig-Holstein und ihr Umgang mit der Thematik Lebensmittelverschwendung. In: Natur- und Landeskunde 128 (10-12): 263-274.
Jürgens, U.
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Diskussion um Lebensmittelverschwendung am Beispiel öffentlich-rechtlicher Abfallwirtschaftsbetriebe. MÜLL und ABFALL(8).
Jürgens, Ulrich
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Food waste and shopping behaviour – quantitative household investigations based on local case studies from Germany. In: Die Erde 153 (1): 28-59.
Jürgens, U.
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Lebensmittelverschwendung – Ausmaß, Ursachen, Diskurs, Lösungen. In: Praxis Geographie 52 (1): 24-28.
Jürgens, U.
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Does Food Shopping Behaviour Determine Food Waste Vulnerability in Private Households? Quantitative Analysis on Case Studies from Germany. Sustainability, 15(6), 4818.
Jürgens, Ulrich
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Krisen und Bewältigungsstrategien im Einzelhandel (=Kieler Geographische Schriften 135). Kiel: Selbstverlag
Jürgens, U. & P. Pez
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Lebensmittelentsorgung diskutiert am Beispiel von Lebensmitteltafeln in Schleswig-Holstein, Deutschland. In: Jürgens, U. & P. Pez (Hrs.): Krisen und Bewältigungsstrategien im Einzelhandel (=Kieler Geographische Schriften 135). Kiel: Selbstverlag
Jürgens, U.
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Spatial relationships between food waste and shopping behavior? A mixed-method approach exemplified by data from Germany. In: Rasouli, S. & H. Timmermans (eds.): Proceedings of the 29th Recent Advances in Retailing and Consumer Science Conference RARCS, Lyon, France 24.07.-27.07.2023: 128-138.
Jürgens, U.
