A Conceptual Framework for the Long-Term Storage of Unused Food for the Purpose of Creating Food Reserves and Preventing Food Waste in Poland

The goal of this study is to create a theoretical model for the assessment of the least resource-intensive storage methods for the buffer stocks. The subject of the study was the available literature on food waste and food preservation methods. Food waste is often mentioned in the context of food security. Meanwhile, research on food waste mainly focuses on ex-post management of food waste rather than reducing food waste in the future. Thus, research on food waste tends towards energy security rather than food security. The bibliometric analysis shows that most of the research conducted focuses on the proper functioning of the supply chain and secondarily on economic food security. Therefore, the paper chooses to link the relevant elements of the analysis of food stock research to possible ways of processing food for long-term storage, based on the literature review. This is a preliminary analysis carried out using the expert method. This may allow some food to be processed into long-term food reserves, whose role is to stabilize food prices and make efficient use of resources in the value chain. To make proper use of such food, its processing and storage must be economically viable. According to this preliminary study, vacuum sealing may be the most efficient of the studied long-term storage methods, although it is not as durable as other methods.