This edition of the Global Challenges in Focus series explores cutting-edge technologies to reduce food loss in the supply chain. Though identifying “critical loss points”, the brief proposes innovative technologies with the highest estimated impact on mitigating food loss. To continue the topic of the food management process, a forthcoming paper will address the technologies tackling food waste.
This book adds a new dimension to the sustainability assessment of food waste reduction and valorisation: policy analysis. Featuring a transdisciplinary analysis by key experts in the field, it identifies the drivers of change in food-waste reduction and valorisation technologies by looking, for example, at the regulatory framework and at policy actions undertaken by local and global actors. The book explores the development of regulations and policies for food-waste prevention, management, and valorisation at a global as well as European Union level. It also discusses the notion of food waste in legal terms and investigates the effects of the lack of a standard, universal definition of food waste on the efficient use of by-products, promising processes and products for technological and commercial exploitation. Utilising mathematical mapping methods to assess food consumption impacts and providing supply chain models that allow the testing of consumption scenarios, the book goes on to discuss a series of emerging technologies (tested at lab scale and/ or pilot scale) and opportunities for the valorisation of food waste.
Access to adequate water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) embodies a fun- damental human right recognized by the United Nations General Assembly. Technology often plays an important role by providing resource-efficient solutions to some of the challenges associated with WASH. This edition of the Global Challenges in Focus series explores the water supply aspect of WASH and highlights the role of technological innovation in relation to managing limited freshwater resources in situations of scarcity and/or threats to the quality of the water supply.
Food Engineering Innovations Across the Food Supply Chain discusses the technology advances and innovations into industrial applications to improve supply chain sustainability and food security. The book captures the highlights of the 13th International Congress of Engineering ICEF13 under selected congress themes, including Sustainable Food Systems, Food Security, Advances in Food Process Engineering, Novel Food Processing Technologies, Food Process Systems Engineering and Modeling, among others. Edited by a team of distinguished researchers affiliated to CSIRO, this book is a valuable resource to all involved with the Food Industry and Academia. Feeding the world's population with safe, nutritious and affordable foods across the globe using finite resources is a challenge. The population of the world is increasing. There are two opposed sub-populations: those who are more affluent and want to decrease their caloric intake, and those who are malnourished and require more caloric and nutritional intake. For sustainable growth, an increasingly integrated systems approach across the whole supply chain is required. Focuses on innovation across the food supply chain beyond the traditional food engineering discipline Brings the integration of on-farm with food factory operations, the inclusion of Industry 4.0 sensing technologies and Internet of Things (IoT) across the food chain to reduce food wastage, water and energy inputs Makes a full intersection into other science domains (operations research, informatics, agriculture and agronomy, machine learning, artificial intelligence and robotics, intelligent packaging, among others)
This comprehensive handbook represents a definitive state of the current art and science of food waste from multiple perspectives. The issue of food waste has emerged in recent years as a major global problem. Recent research has enabled greater understanding and measurement of loss and waste throughout food supply chains, shedding light on contributing factors and practical solutions. This book includes perspectives and disciplines ranging from agriculture, food science, industrial ecology, history, economics, consumer behaviour, geography, theology, planning, sociology, and environmental policy among others. The Routledge Handbook of Food Waste addresses new and ongoing debates around systemic causes and solutions, including behaviour change, social innovation, new technologies, spirituality, redistribution, animal feed, and activism. The chapters describe and evaluate country case studies, waste management, treatment, prevention, and reduction approaches, and compares research methodologies for better understanding food wastage. This book is essential reading for the growing number of food waste scholars, practitioners, and policy makers interested in researching, theorising, debating, and solving the multifaceted phenomenon of food waste.
Innovation Strategies for the Food Industry: Tools for Implementation, Second Edition explores how process technologies and innovations are implemented in the food industry, by i.e., detecting problems and providing answers to questions of modern applications. As in all science sectors, Internet and big data have brought a renaissance of changes in the way academics and researchers communicate and collaborate, and in the way that the food industry develops. The new edition covers emerging skills of food technologists and the integration of food science and technology knowledge into the food chain. This handbook is ideal for all relevant actors in the food sector (professors, researchers, students and professionals) as well as for anyone dealing with food science and technology, new products development and food industry. - Includes the latest trend on training requirements for the agro-food industry - Highlights new technical skills and profiles of modern food scientists and technologists for professional development - Presents new case studies to support research activities in the food sector, including product and process innovation - Covers topics on collaboration, entrepreneurship, Big Data and the Internet of Things
This book discusses one of the biggest challenges of the food industry, which is waste management. Food industries generate high amounts of waste, both solid and liquid, resulting from the production, processing and consumption of food. Stringent environmental legislators have made the task of waste management more challenging. Through the three sections of this book, the readers are introduced to the different types of wastes generated, utilization of waste through food processing industry and sustainable waste management technologies. The different chapters describe how the biomass and the valuable nutrients from food industry wastes could be used to develop value-added products. The book reiterates that food wastes and their by-products are an excellent source of sugars, minerals, dietary fiber, organic acids, bio active compounds such as polyphenols, carotenoids and phytochemicals etc. This book is an excellent resource for industry experts, researchers and students in the field of food science, food processing and food waste management.
The publication looks at innovations happening at all stages of the food value chain: from production to manufacturing and retailing. This also includes the extended value chain, for example input supply, financial services and agribusiness support services. Yields are improving and primary production is becoming more resilient as a result of digital technologies such as precision agriculture, agricultural drones, and digital farming services and marketplaces; and novel business models such as plant factories, crowdsourcing for farmers. Data and robotics help lift productivity and food safety in the manufacturing process. Online grocery commerce and food delivery services are revolutionizing the way consumers purchase food. Distributed ledger technology, such as blockchain, allows making payments and tracing back food products along the chain in order to increase transparency and trust. New business models are springing up to shorten the chain by removing or shifting stages and to make it fairer and greener, stimulated by enabling technologies and changing customer behaviours. Innovations such as these are discussed and illustrated by almost 200 practical examples from 21 countries in the Asia-Pacific region, across various types of firms and commodities. By observing emerging trends and providing concrete examples, the book discusses the nature of these innovations, how they are affecting food systems and value chains, positively or negatively, and how to deal with trade-offs. It concludes with a reflection on the impacts of these innovations, the policy solutions identified, and lessons learned to future-proof the region’s food systems, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The WIPO GREEN Year in Review 2020 provides a snapshot of last year's activities and achievements. Some highlights include the regional innovation acceleration project in Latin America, WIPO GREEN strategic activities, and the establishment of new partner and donor relationships.
This report is the outcome of the Digital Excellence in Agriculture: FAO-ITU regional contest on good practices advancing digital agriculture in Europe and Central Asia, organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Office for Europe and Central Asia and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Offices for Europe and Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). Launched in November 2020, the contest sought to identify, showcase and celebrate good practices and innovative solutions that have proven successful in advancing the digital transformation of agriculture in the regions. With nearly 200 applicants from 36 countries in the regions, the initiative revealed a diverse, dynamic and future-thinking ecosystem of innovators and problem-solvers. This report summarizes the main trends in digital services and products, the most important technologies used, as well as the difficulties and challenges that arise in the development of digital agricultural applications. Presenting the 29 finalists, the report shares the key challenges applicants are addressing, the digital technologies they are using to succeed, their journeys and their plans for the near future based on the information provided. The report also analyses how the technology infrastructure, the regulatory and business environment, the availability of human capital, and the COVID-19 pandemic represented both challenges and opportunities for digital agriculture practitioners. It provides useful information for developers and service providers already active in this field or planning to enter it, as well as guidance for decision-makers on possible points of intervention.
