Why people are bad at leftover food management? A systematic literature review and a framework to analyze household leftover food waste generation behavior.

Food waste is a significant global problem. In the Global North, households are a major driver of food waste generation and also a key enabler of solutions to address the issue. Leftover food management is identified as one of the key areas that can be targeted to reduce food waste at home. Although a large body of literature exists on household food waste and its drivers, managing food leftovers has received less attention. This state-of-the-art review focuses on leftover food management practices with the view of supporting practitioners in designing and prioritizing behavioral interventions to reduce leftover food waste in households. It uses the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) framework to select articles for the review. Based on 42 primary studies, this systematic review identifies a range of psycho-social, socio-demographic and lifestyle factors influencing leftover food waste generation behavior at home. Moreover, household food handling skills and knowledge, and availability and accessibility to infrastructure facilities affect leftover food waste generation behavior. Based on the synthesized literature, Leftover Food Waste Generation Behavior (LFWGB) Framework has been developed. The framework conceptualizes psycho-social, personal and lifestyle factors driving leftover food management behaviors at home. Reducing food leftovers must be given top priority along with consumer meal planning and food preparation skills in household food waste reduction interventions and campaigns.

A Circular Economy Approach to Food Security and Poverty: a Case Study in Food Rescue in Sri Lanka.

Food rescue has been identified as a sustainable approach in preventing wastage of surplus food and achieving food security. Although food insecurity is widely prevalent in developing countries, there is a paucity of research investigating food donations and rescue operations in these countries. This study focuses on surplus food redistribution activities from a developing country perspective. Specifically, the study analyses the structure, motivations, and limitations of the existing food rescue system in Colombo, Sri Lanka, by conducting a series of structured interviews with twenty food donors and redistributors. The food rescue system in Sri Lanka characterises a sporadic redistribution, and food donors and rescuers are mainly driven by humanitarian motives. The findings also reveal missing institutions - facilitator organisations and back-line organisations - in the surplus food rescue system. Food redistributors identified that inadequate food logistics and establishing formal partnerships as major challenges in food rescue operations. Establishing intermediary organisations such as food banks to provide the required food logistics, imposing food safety parameters and minimum quality standards required for surplus food redistribution, and community awareness programmes on food redistribution can increase the efficiency and effectiveness of food rescue operations. There is an urgent need to embed food rescue as a strategy to reduce food wastage and to enhance food security in existing policies.