What are the implications of food waste? Who is responsible for controlling food waste?

[Name of the Institute]Table of Contents

Introduction3

Conceptual/Analytical Framework4

Research Aims and Objectives5

Research Questions5

Brief Literature Review6

Methodology8

References9

What are the implications of food waste? Who is responsible for controlling food waste?

Introduction

Food waste is emerging as the global dilemma and impacting almost all countries across the globe. Food waste also referred to as food loss comprises of all kinds of food that is either discarded or lost uneaten. According to a recent survey of UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) (2011) around one third of the world's total food that is being produced each for human consumption is either wasted or discarded. This comprises that around 1.3 billions tonnes of food production across the world that is produced for the human or households' consumption each is discarded resulting in huge catastrophe for both developing and developed countries in terms of food shortage significantly impacting on poor sections of the society. Baqtiste (2007) asserted that food waste and loos occurs on all stages of food supply chain that is from production channels to distribution, retailing and consumption. However, countries significantly vary in amount each stage of food supply chain that evidenced food loss. Bench et al. (2003) asserted that food loss in developing or low-income countries are mostly occurs during the production stage or phases while on contrary majority of food loss in developed nations occurs at the consumption stage of phases. It is reported that around 100 kilograms of food waste that is around 220lb per person each year is being waste in developed countries at the consumption stage. This research being centred on developed country that is United Kingdom therefore focuses on food waste at consumption or households' level and takes stock on implications of preventing and controlling food waste and critically appraises who is responsible for controlling food waste in households of United Kingdom. This dissertation will specifically emphasizes on UK household waste, however it is not deniable that great quantities of food waste are also occurred and generated at all levels of food supply chain and at all levels of production, manufacturing, distribution, retailing, hotels, food restaurants, catering outlets, offices and many other sectors like that.

Conceptual/Analytical Framework

This research will focus on the robust conceptual framework of previous research of Defra (2005) based on the four themes of controlling the food waste that includes 1) engaging (households take preventive and controlling actions to food waste), 2) enabling (households take preventive actions or overcoming barriers to food waste by using the cleaning products e.g. refillable packaging solutions) and services e.g. (access to reuse services), 3) encouraging (households take stock to analyze their behaviours regarding food waste generation and how to reduce it) and 4) exemplifying monitoring and evaluation of waste management (how waste prevention can able to reduce the food wastes in households). Defra (2005) analyzed the research based on consumer/household behaviour change framework based on four themes that are also referred as 4E's of UK Sustainable Development Strategy, hence analyzing ...