Food Loss and Waste Policy: From Theory to Practice

This book examines policy responses to food waste and loss, an issue of significant, global concern, with one-third of food produced for human consumption lost or wasted.

Investigating food waste and loss under an interdisciplinary lens, the contributors employ a variety of methodological approaches, including quantitative and qualitative techniques, drawing on in-depth case studies and action research. The volume is organised into four parts: Understanding Food Loss and Waste, International Programmes, National Policies and Local Initiatives. The first part introduces the reader to the concept of food loss and waste, how it can be measured, its causes and consequences, and how it can be reduced. The second part is dedicated to international and cross-country case studies, with six chapters reviewing national policies implemented in France, Italy, Romania, Japan, China and the United States. In Part Four, three chapters are dedicated to local food recovery and redistribution initiatives. By focusing on different territories and different levels of governance, the book provides a detailed evaluation of food loss and waste policies, the barriers and opportunities of implementing the policies, as well as the impact they are actually having. The chapters are both descriptive and evaluative and draw out lessons for designing, implementing and reforming programmes.

This book will be of great interest to students and scholars working on food waste, food policy, sustainable food systems, agricultural production and supply chains and public policy, as well as policymakers involved with developing and implementing programmes and policies to regulate and reduce food waste and loss.

Simone Busetti is a policy analyst and evaluator and is currently Associate Professor of Political Science and Public Policy Analysis at the University of Teramo, Italy. He has worked on local development, public administration reform, and food policy and served as a professional evaluator for several public administrations in Italy.

Noemi Pace is Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Teramo. She is also a research fellow at the UCL Centre for Global Health Economics, UK, and a research fellow in the Center for Economic and International Studies (CEIS) at the University of Tor Vergata, Italy.