The circular economy approach for reducing food waste: a systematic review

Abstract

Purpose: This study performs a systematic review through a global analysis of selected articles on food waste and the Circular Economy in the period between 2011 and 2020, indexed in the Scopus and Web of Science databases. Methodology/Approach: It performs a qualitative analysis of 19 selected articles to identify how the Circular Economy can be used in the strategy to reduce food waste. Findings: The main focus is to avoid a global collapse, provoked by the unrestrained increase in production and consumption since the industrial revolution, intensified in the middle of the 20th century. That culminated in the degradation of the soil, seas and the consequent air pollution caused by all these factors, and in the social issue, the increase in social inequality between countries and people, and the evolution of food insecurity, especially among the most vulnerable. Research Limitation/implication: This research contributes to academia and society, by identifying principal authors, keywords, and gaps in the selected literature and then, proposes suggestions for future research. Originality/Value of paper: The growing waste of food has directly affected the economic, social and environmental spheres, a subject widely discussed and included in the Sustainable Development goals of 2030.

Keywords

• circular economy
• waste
• food
• consumerism
• climate change