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A Sum of Incidentals or a Structural Problem? The True Nature of Food Waste in the Metropolitan Region of Barcelona

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  • Raquel Diaz-Ruiz

    (Center for Agro-Food Economy and Development (CREDA-UPC-IRTA), C/Esteve Terrades 8, 08860 Castelldefels, Spain)

  • Montserrat Costa-Font

    (Land Economy, Environment and Society Research Group, Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC), West Mains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JG, UK)

  • Feliu López-i-Gelats

    (Center for Agro-Food Economy and Development (CREDA-UPC-IRTA), C/Esteve Terrades 8, 08860 Castelldefels, Spain
    Chair of Agroecology and Food Systems, University of Vic - Central University of Catalonia, 08500 Vic, Spain)

  • José M. Gil

    (Center for Agro-Food Economy and Development (CREDA-UPC-IRTA), C/Esteve Terrades 8, 08860 Castelldefels, Spain)

Abstract

Addressing the generation of food waste is a major challenge nowadays. An increasing interest in studying food waste generation has emerged over the last decade. However, little attention has been devoted to understanding the root of the problem by carrying out a whole-supply-chain analysis and applying multidimensional approaches. The aim of this paper was to identify the causes of food waste in the metropolitan region of Barcelona along the food supply chain, considering the relevant stakeholders’ perceptions. Moreover, we examined the circumstantial or structural nature of the identified causes. We conducted a qualitative study consisting of 24 in-depth interviews of key stakeholders in the region along the food supply chain from October 2014 to January 2015. The interviews were analyzed by content analysis, and the main results are presented here. We used a conceptual framework that differentiates among micro, meso, and macro causes to disentangle the nature of the causes. The results from this study show the great interest of regional stakeholders in the issue of the generation of food waste and provide a complete map of the causes of food waste in the metropolitan region. From our study, we advocate that food waste is not only a sum of incidentals but it a structural problem.

Suggested Citation

  • Raquel Diaz-Ruiz & Montserrat Costa-Font & Feliu López-i-Gelats & José M. Gil, 2018. "A Sum of Incidentals or a Structural Problem? The True Nature of Food Waste in the Metropolitan Region of Barcelona," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(10), pages 1-19, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:10:y:2018:i:10:p:3730-:d:176217
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    1. Christopher Malefors & Pieter Callewaert & Per-Anders Hansson & Hanna Hartikainen & Oona Pietiläinen & Ingrid Strid & Christina Strotmann & Mattias Eriksson, 2019. "Towards a Baseline for Food-Waste Quantification in the Hospitality Sector—Quantities and Data Processing Criteria," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(13), pages 1-22, June.
    2. René Audet & Éliane Brisebois, 2019. "The Social Production of Food Waste at the Retail-Consumption Interface," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(14), pages 1-18, July.
    3. Nouman Afzal & Abdul Basit & Adil Daniel & Nausheen Ilyas & Asad Imran & Zoia Arshad Awan & Effie Papargyropoulou & Lindsay C. Stringer & Mohamed Hashem & Saad Alamri & Muhammad Amjad Bashir & Yunzhou, 2022. "Quantifying Food Waste in the Hospitality Sector and Exploring Its Underlying Reasons—A Case Study of Lahore, Pakistan," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(11), pages 1-17, June.

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