Abstract

Recent reports indicate that 30 to 50 percent of all food produced for human consumption is wasted and not eaten by humans (FAO 2011; IME 2013). Thus individuals and businesses continue to make decisions that result in this massive amount of food waste (Pearson et al. 2013). Although food losses occur throughout the supply chain, in developing countries most of this is prior to purchase by consumers – mainly due to limited investment in efficient storage, transport, and processing infrastructure, whilst in industrialized countries most is wasted by consumers – mainly due to food being relatively abundant and economically cheap (FAO 2011). Thus the magnitude, pervasiveness, and persistence of food waste suggest that it remains a complicated issue.