According to the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), over 30% of all food produced worldwide is lost or wasted from farm to fork, amounting to 1.3 billion tonnes annually in absolute terms. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) call for lowering global food waste by 50% at the retail and consumer level and reducing food losses along the production and supply chain, including postharvest losses, by 2030 to reduce this wastage across nations (Goal 12). The term “postharvest loss” - PHL refers to measurable quantitative and qualitative food loss in the postharvest system. This system comprises interconnected activities from harvest time through crop processing, marketing, and food preparation to the final decision by the consumer to eat or discard the food. In order to create sustainable strategies for the entire food system, it is vital to reconsider how food is produced, processed, and consumed. Applying the circular economy concept to the food chain may be a valuable tool to achieve this objective.
This collection looks more closely at the potential of applying the circular economy to reduce food losses. We intend to cover losses along the entire food chain, highlighting some strategies and alternatives for preventing, reducing, or recovering these losses. Furthermore, we want to publish and disseminate research studies highlighting new techniques for reducing losses at various value chain stages, including future potential for combining multiple strategies and connecting actors along the value chain. Innovation's role in preventing, reducing, recycling, and reusing waste will also be valued. Particular focus will be given to fruits and vegetables.
Subject areas may include, but are not limited to:
-Strategies for mitigation of Postharvest losses in Horticulture;
-Economic, social, and environmental consequences of postharvest losses across the food chain;
-Technological innovations: Product and Process innovations;
- Effects on Reducing Postharvest Losses and Maintaining product quality;
Types of article:
- Research papers reporting original and previously unpublished work.
- Review Articles. Critical evaluation of existing data, defined topics or emerging fields of investigation, critical issues of public concern
Keywords:
Horticultural products, Food loss and waste, Postharvest, Perishable products, Environmental and social problems, Technological innovations, Behavioral solutions
Important Note:
All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
According to the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), over 30% of all food produced worldwide is lost or wasted from farm to fork, amounting to 1.3 billion tonnes annually in absolute terms. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) call for lowering global food waste by 50% at the retail and consumer level and reducing food losses along the production and supply chain, including postharvest losses, by 2030 to reduce this wastage across nations (Goal 12). The term “postharvest loss” - PHL refers to measurable quantitative and qualitative food loss in the postharvest system. This system comprises interconnected activities from harvest time through crop processing, marketing, and food preparation to the final decision by the consumer to eat or discard the food. In order to create sustainable strategies for the entire food system, it is vital to reconsider how food is produced, processed, and consumed. Applying the circular economy concept to the food chain may be a valuable tool to achieve this objective.
This collection looks more closely at the potential of applying the circular economy to reduce food losses. We intend to cover losses along the entire food chain, highlighting some strategies and alternatives for preventing, reducing, or recovering these losses. Furthermore, we want to publish and disseminate research studies highlighting new techniques for reducing losses at various value chain stages, including future potential for combining multiple strategies and connecting actors along the value chain. Innovation's role in preventing, reducing, recycling, and reusing waste will also be valued. Particular focus will be given to fruits and vegetables.
Subject areas may include, but are not limited to:
-Strategies for mitigation of Postharvest losses in Horticulture;
-Economic, social, and environmental consequences of postharvest losses across the food chain;
-Technological innovations: Product and Process innovations;
- Effects on Reducing Postharvest Losses and Maintaining product quality;
Types of article:
- Research papers reporting original and previously unpublished work.
- Review Articles. Critical evaluation of existing data, defined topics or emerging fields of investigation, critical issues of public concern
Keywords:
Horticultural products, Food loss and waste, Postharvest, Perishable products, Environmental and social problems, Technological innovations, Behavioral solutions
Important Note:
All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.