Exploring food loss in the food industry: A survey-based approach for Lithuania

Food loss and waste is relevant for all stages of a food supply chain. Methodological and empirical solutions are needed to properly quantify these losses. The present paper embarks on the quantification of food loss in the Lithuanian food processing sector. This issue has not received substantial coverage in the literature yet, even though the transition economies face serious food losses due to malfunctioning markets and limited under-standing of the issue of food loss and waste in general. In this paper, by exploiting the questionnaire survey, the food loss rates in the major sub-sectors of the Lithuanian food industry are assessed and the root causes behind food loss are identified. The results are then extrapolated to provide insights into the extent of food loss in the Lithuanian food industry as a whole. The results suggest that an estimated 10.9 thousand tonnes of food, or 4 kg per capita, may be lost at the processing level each year in the country. Issues related to processing operations as well as product non-compliance with commercial standards appear as the underlying causes for food loss.

Automated summary

This paper quantifies food loss in the Lithuanian food processing sector and identifies the root causes behind it. Through a questionnaire survey, the study finds that an estimated 10.9 thousand tonnes of food, or 4 kg per capita, may be lost at the processing level each year in the country. Processing operations issues and product non-compliance with commercial standards are identified as the main causes for food loss.