New Sustainable Market Opportunities for Surplus Food: A Food System-Sensitive Methodology (FSSM)
Author(s)
Thomas H. O’Donnell1,
Jonathan Deutsch2,
Cathy Yungmann3,
Alexandra Zeitz4,
Solomon H. Katz5
Affiliation(s)
1 Land and Chemicals Division, U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, N.A.H.E., Region 3, Philadelphia, USA. 2 Department of Culinary Arts and Food Science, Center for Hospitality and Sport Management, Drexel University, Philadelphia, USA. 3 Department of Communication, Cabrini College, Radnor, USA. 4 Drexel Food Lab, Center for Hospitality and Sport Management, Drexel University, Philadelphia, USA. 5 Krogman Center for Research in Child Growth and Development, University of Pennsylvania, CEO World Food Forum, Philadelphia, USA.
1 Land and Chemicals Division, U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, N.A.H.E., Region 3, Philadelphia, USA. 2 Department of Culinary Arts and Food Science, Center for Hospitality and Sport Management, Drexel University, Philadelphia, USA. 3 Department of Communication, Cabrini College, Radnor, USA. 4 Drexel Food Lab, Center for Hospitality and Sport Management, Drexel University, Philadelphia, USA. 5 Krogman Center for Research in Child Growth and Development, University of Pennsylvania, CEO World Food Forum, Philadelphia, USA.
ABSTRACT
An important way to address global food security is to make better use of the food already produced. Since at least one third of global food is wasted before consumption, there are enormous incentives to cut this waste and create a more sustainable food system. This paper focuses upon saving food loss at the supermarket level in the US and channeling this food stream in new and efficient ways to those in hunger. A more comprehensive Food System-Sensitive Methodology has been used to pilot and evaluate a surplus food management program that diverts culled fresh fruits and vegetables from grocery stores that would otherwise be disposed of in landfills. Instead, produce is processed for donation or for new businesses. Nearly 35,000 pounds of produce was culled from a grocery store chain in Philadelphia. Twenty-five percent of this was not suitable for culinary uses, ten percent consisted of relatively small quantities of food that did not warrant further research, and about 33 percent is suitable for use at area food shelters and pantries. An experimental sample taken from the remaining 15,000 pounds was used for recipe research and development for diversion to new commercial enterprises. We analyzed a scenario where a supermarket receives $0.25 per pound for culled produce, generating about $8700 dollars in average monthly revenue while eliminating disposal costs. New commercial possibilities for the unused food were then explored. The scenario included community-based enterprises that could process the produce into value-added products that could be wholesaled back to the store at sufficient profits to support 2 - 4 community employees. Extrapolating these results to the approximately 38,000 large supermarkets in the United States suggests that much of the 1,100,000,000 pounds of produce that is currently sent to landfills can be repurposed. If diverted to new foods each of the 46.1 million SNAP recipients could figuratively receive an equivalent of 24 pounds of fruit and vegetable products per annum. This initial analysis suggests that repurposing surplus produce from supermarket discards can have significant beneficial outcomes for new food markets and the environment.
An important way to address global food security is to make better use of the food already produced. Since at least one third of global food is wasted before consumption, there are enormous incentives to cut this waste and create a more sustainable food system. This paper focuses upon saving food loss at the supermarket level in the US and channeling this food stream in new and efficient ways to those in hunger. A more comprehensive Food System-Sensitive Methodology has been used to pilot and evaluate a surplus food management program that diverts culled fresh fruits and vegetables from grocery stores that would otherwise be disposed of in landfills. Instead, produce is processed for donation or for new businesses. Nearly 35,000 pounds of produce was culled from a grocery store chain in Philadelphia. Twenty-five percent of this was not suitable for culinary uses, ten percent consisted of relatively small quantities of food that did not warrant further research, and about 33 percent is suitable for use at area food shelters and pantries. An experimental sample taken from the remaining 15,000 pounds was used for recipe research and development for diversion to new commercial enterprises. We analyzed a scenario where a supermarket receives $0.25 per pound for culled produce, generating about $8700 dollars in average monthly revenue while eliminating disposal costs. New commercial possibilities for the unused food were then explored. The scenario included community-based enterprises that could process the produce into value-added products that could be wholesaled back to the store at sufficient profits to support 2 - 4 community employees. Extrapolating these results to the approximately 38,000 large supermarkets in the United States suggests that much of the 1,100,000,000 pounds of produce that is currently sent to landfills can be repurposed. If diverted to new foods each of the 46.1 million SNAP recipients could figuratively receive an equivalent of 24 pounds of fruit and vegetable products per annum. This initial analysis suggests that repurposing surplus produce from supermarket discards can have significant beneficial outcomes for new food markets and the environment.
Cite this paper
O’Donnell, T. , Deutsch, J. , Yungmann, C. , Zeitz, A. and Katz, S. (2015) New Sustainable Market Opportunities for Surplus Food: A Food System-Sensitive Methodology (FSSM). Food and Nutrition Sciences, 6, 883-892. doi: 10.4236/fns.2015.610093.
O’Donnell, T. , Deutsch, J. , Yungmann, C. , Zeitz, A. and Katz, S. (2015) New Sustainable Market Opportunities for Surplus Food: A Food System-Sensitive Methodology (FSSM). Food and Nutrition Sciences, 6, 883-892. doi: 10.4236/fns.2015.610093.
References
[1] United Nations (2013) A New Global Partnership: Eradicate Poverty and Transform Economies through Sustainable Development. United Nations Publications, New York. [2] Gustavsson, J., Cederberg, C., Sonesson, U., van Otterdijk, R. and Meybeck, A. (2011) Global Food Losses and Waste: Extent, Causes and Prevention. FAO, from Interpack2011, Düsseldorf, Germany.
http://www.fao.org/docrep/014/mb060e/mb060e.pdf [3] FAO (2013) Food Wastage Footprint: Impacts on Natural Resources (Summary Report). 1-63.
http://www.fao.org/docrep/018/i3347e/i3347e.pdf [4] Katz, S.H. (2012) The Future of Food. Part I: Food: Its Past, Present, and Future, American Philosophical Society Annual Walter L. Robb Symposium on “Useful Knowledge”, Philadelphia.
http://diglib.amphilsoc.org/islandora/object/video%3A1121 [5] Gunders, D. (2012) Wasted: How America Is Losing up to 40 Percent of Its Food from Farm to Fork to Landfill. Natural Resources Defense Council, IP:12-06-B.
http://www.nrdc.org/food/wasted-food.asp [6] United States Environmental Protection Agency (2014) Municipal Solid Waste Generation, Recycling, and Disposal in the United States, Tables and Figures for 2012, 63 p. [7] HUD Exchange (2015) Promise Zone First Round Designees.
http://tinyurl.com/mju8rme [8] City of Philadelphia, January 8, 2014, City of Philadelphia Selected as a Promise Zone Designee. [9] United States Department of Agriculture, 2015.
http://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/food-security-in-the-us/
definitions-of-food-security.aspx [10] United States Department of Agriculture, 2015.
http://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/food-security-in-the-us/
key-statistics-graphics.aspx [11] United States Environmental Protection Agency (2015) News Release from Region 3.
http://tinyurl.com/n52bssd [12] Seymour, G., Tucker, G.A., Poole, M. and Giovannoni, J. (2013) The Molecular Biology and Biochemistry of Fruit Ripening. Wiley-Blackwell, Oxford.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/9781118593714 [13] O’Donnell, T. (2014) Cobbler Cure—Doctor’s Orders.
http://tinyurl.com/kxlss85 [14] Lampert, P. (2015) They Don’t Just Cook It, They Create It.
http://www.supermarketguru.com/the-lempert-report/they-dont-just-cook-it,-they-create-it.html [15] Huffington Post (2015)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/02/drexel-food-lab-homeless_n_6784098.html [16] Federal Executive Board (2015)
http://tinyurl.com/lthelsc [17] You Tube (2014) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31CYcEzaIKU [18] Gunders, D. (2012) Wasted: How America Is Losing Up to 40 Percent of Its Food from Farm to Fork to Landfill. NRDC Issue Paper, iP:12-06-B. [19] Buzby, J.C., Wells, H.F., Axtman, B. and Mickey, J. (2009) Supermarket Loss Estimates for Fresh Fruit, Vegetables, Meat, Poultry, and Seafood and Their Use in the ERS Loss-Adjusted Food Availability Data. Economic Information Bulletin No. (EIB-44), 26 p. [20] Food Waste Reduction Alliance (2013) Grocery Stores and Food Waste.
http://www.foodwastealliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/FMI_food_
waste_infographic-RETAILERS1.jpg [21] United States Environmental Protection Agency (2015)
http://epa.gov/epawaste/conserve/tools/warm/pdfs/Food_Waste.pdf [22] Food Marketing Institute (2015)
http://www.fmi.org/research-resources/supermarket-facts [23] United States Department of Agriculture (2015)
http://www.fns.usda.gov/pd/supplemental-nutrition-assistance-program-snap [24] United States Department of Agriculture (2015)
http://www.choosemyplate.gov/
[1] United Nations (2013) A New Global Partnership: Eradicate Poverty and Transform Economies through Sustainable Development. United Nations Publications, New York. [2] Gustavsson, J., Cederberg, C., Sonesson, U., van Otterdijk, R. and Meybeck, A. (2011) Global Food Losses and Waste: Extent, Causes and Prevention. FAO, from Interpack2011, Düsseldorf, Germany.
http://www.fao.org/docrep/014/mb060e/mb060e.pdf [3] FAO (2013) Food Wastage Footprint: Impacts on Natural Resources (Summary Report). 1-63.
http://www.fao.org/docrep/018/i3347e/i3347e.pdf [4] Katz, S.H. (2012) The Future of Food. Part I: Food: Its Past, Present, and Future, American Philosophical Society Annual Walter L. Robb Symposium on “Useful Knowledge”, Philadelphia.
http://diglib.amphilsoc.org/islandora/object/video%3A1121 [5] Gunders, D. (2012) Wasted: How America Is Losing up to 40 Percent of Its Food from Farm to Fork to Landfill. Natural Resources Defense Council, IP:12-06-B.
http://www.nrdc.org/food/wasted-food.asp [6] United States Environmental Protection Agency (2014) Municipal Solid Waste Generation, Recycling, and Disposal in the United States, Tables and Figures for 2012, 63 p. [7] HUD Exchange (2015) Promise Zone First Round Designees.
http://tinyurl.com/mju8rme [8] City of Philadelphia, January 8, 2014, City of Philadelphia Selected as a Promise Zone Designee. [9] United States Department of Agriculture, 2015.
http://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/food-security-in-the-us/
definitions-of-food-security.aspx [10] United States Department of Agriculture, 2015.
http://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/food-security-in-the-us/
key-statistics-graphics.aspx [11] United States Environmental Protection Agency (2015) News Release from Region 3.
http://tinyurl.com/n52bssd [12] Seymour, G., Tucker, G.A., Poole, M. and Giovannoni, J. (2013) The Molecular Biology and Biochemistry of Fruit Ripening. Wiley-Blackwell, Oxford.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/9781118593714 [13] O’Donnell, T. (2014) Cobbler Cure—Doctor’s Orders.
http://tinyurl.com/kxlss85 [14] Lampert, P. (2015) They Don’t Just Cook It, They Create It.
http://www.supermarketguru.com/the-lempert-report/they-dont-just-cook-it,-they-create-it.html [15] Huffington Post (2015)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/02/drexel-food-lab-homeless_n_6784098.html [16] Federal Executive Board (2015)
http://tinyurl.com/lthelsc [17] You Tube (2014) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31CYcEzaIKU [18] Gunders, D. (2012) Wasted: How America Is Losing Up to 40 Percent of Its Food from Farm to Fork to Landfill. NRDC Issue Paper, iP:12-06-B. [19] Buzby, J.C., Wells, H.F., Axtman, B. and Mickey, J. (2009) Supermarket Loss Estimates for Fresh Fruit, Vegetables, Meat, Poultry, and Seafood and Their Use in the ERS Loss-Adjusted Food Availability Data. Economic Information Bulletin No. (EIB-44), 26 p. [20] Food Waste Reduction Alliance (2013) Grocery Stores and Food Waste.
http://www.foodwastealliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/FMI_food_
waste_infographic-RETAILERS1.jpg [21] United States Environmental Protection Agency (2015)
http://epa.gov/epawaste/conserve/tools/warm/pdfs/Food_Waste.pdf [22] Food Marketing Institute (2015)
http://www.fmi.org/research-resources/supermarket-facts [23] United States Department of Agriculture (2015)
http://www.fns.usda.gov/pd/supplemental-nutrition-assistance-program-snap [24] United States Department of Agriculture (2015)
http://www.choosemyplate.gov/