The collective meals market generates significant revenue for the world economy. Food services are responsible for consuming large amounts of water and energy, as well as generating a substantial volume of waste, which is often improperly disposed of. Given the unchecked expansion of food services, the lack of proper management of environmental resources can undermine sustainability principles, posing a threat to future generations. This scoping review aimed to synthesize the existing scientific literature on carbon and water footprints in food services, describing the main methods and tools used and what strategies have been proposed to mitigate the high values of these footprints. The search for articles was performed on 6 June 2024 in seven electronic databases, using MeSH Terms and adaptations for each database from database inception. The search for local studies was complemented by a manual search in the list of references of the studies selected to compose this review. It included quantitative studies assessing footprints (water or carbon) in food services and excluded reviews, studies that reported footprints for diets, and protocols. A total of 2642 studies were identified, and among these, 29 were selected for this review. According to the findings, it was observed that meats, especially beef, contribute more to water and carbon footprint compared to other proteins. Mitigation strategies for the water footprint include promoting plant-based diets, menu changes, and awareness.

Food loss and waste pose significant challenges in both industrial and agricultural food production sectors. In recent decades, their environmental and economic impacts have intensified due to increasing food demand, heightened production activities, and varying standards across the global supply chain. Specifically, the complexities surrounding the causes of food waste at the retail and household levels persist as a multifaceted issue, constituting a crucial topic in food policy. This is driven by various interplaying aspects, such as food security, safety, quality, and environmental sustainability, including greenhouse gas emissions from decaying food, water pollution from leaching, and the proliferation of landfills. Additionally, consumer concerns and financial losses exacerbate the urgency of addressing this issue. Therefore, this paper aims to highlight these complexities as a focal point of its discussion by the examination of interconnected causes of food waste and potential solutions and initiatives to reduce food waste occurring at these critical points in the food supply chain. Less attention has been paid to retail and foodservice than production and consumer sectors, and this review specifically focuses on these industries, where food waste is more important than food loss. This review also looks at examples in developing countries which have received less attention until now. We believe that because of the complexity of the process to reduce food waste across the food supply chain, and the many stakeholders involved, the goal of a 50% reduction by 2030 set by the United Nations will be difficult to achieve on time.

This study addressed the critical issue of food waste, particularly focusing on carrot pomace, a by-product of carrot juice production, and its potential reutilization. Carrot pomace, characterized by high dietary fiber content, presents a sustainable opportunity to enhance the functional properties of food products. The effects of physical pretreatments-high shearing (HS), hydraulic pressing (HP), and their combination (HSHP)-alongside two drying methods (freeze-drying and dehydration) on the functional, chemical, and physical properties of carrot pomace were explored. The results indicated significant enhancements in water-holding capacity, fat-binding capacity, and swelling capacity, particularly with freeze-drying. Freeze-dried pomace retained up to 33% more carotenoids and demonstrated an increase of up to 22% in water-holding capacity compared to dehydrated samples. Freeze-dried pomace demonstrated an increase of up to 194% in fat-binding capacity compared to dehydrated samples. Furthermore, HSHP pretreatment notably increased the swelling capacity of both freeze-dried (54%) and dehydrated pomace (35%) compared to pomace without pretreatments. Freeze-drying can enhance the functional properties of dried carrot pomace and preserve more carotenoids. This presents an innovative way for vegetable juice processors to repurpose their processing by-products as functional food ingredients, which can help reduce food waste and improve the dietary fiber content and sustainability of food products.

Considering the high organic matter contents and pollutants in sewage sludge (SS) and food waste (FW), seeking green and effective technology for energy recovery and pollutant control is a big challenge. In this study, we proposed a integrated technology combing SS mass separation by hydrothermal pretreatment, methane production from co-digestion of hydrothermally treated sewage sludge (HSS) centrate and FW, and biochar production from co-pyrolysis of HSS cake and digestate with heavy metal immobilization for synergistic utilization of SS and FW. The results showed that the co-digestion of HSS centrate with FW reduced the NH4+-N concentration and promoted volatile fatty acids conversion, leading to a more robust anaerobic system for better methane generation. Among the co-pyrolysis of HSS cake and digestate, digestate addition improved biochar quality with heavy metals immobilization and toxicity reduction. Following the lab-scale investigation, the pilot-scale verification was successfully performed (except the co-digestion process). The mass and energy balance revealed that the produced methane could supply the whole energy consumption of the integrated system with 26.2 t biochar generation for treating 300 t SS and 120 t FW. This study presents a new strategy and technology validation for synergistic treatment of SS and FW with resource recovery and pollutants control.

This research adopted the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) to predict intention and behavior to avoid food waste. In a pilot study, behavioral, normative, and control beliefs were identified. In the main study, a TPB model extended with descriptive and moral norms was assessed using a two-wave design and applying SEM. The associations between beliefs and TPB constructs were analyzed by MIMIC models. Attitude, descriptive and moral norms, and perceived behavioral control were associated with intention to avoid food waste, which predicted behavior. Considering the most important beliefs in forming intentions has important implications for designing food waste prevention interventions.

Anaerobic digestion (AD) is commonly used in food waste treatment. Prokaryotic microbial communities in AD of food waste have been comprehensively studied. The role of viruses, known to affect microbial dynamics and metabolism, remains largely unexplored. This study employed metagenomic analysis and recovered 967 high-quality viral bins within food waste and digestate derived from 8 full-scale biogas plants. The diversity of viral communities was higher in digestate. In silico predictions linked 20.8% of viruses to microbial host populations, highlighting possible virus predators of key functional microbes. Lineage-specific virus-host ratio varied, indicating that viral infection dynamics might differentially affect microbial responses to the varying process parameters. Evidence for virus-mediated gene transfer was identified, emphasizing the potential role of viruses in controlling the microbiome. AD altered the specific process parameters, potentially promoting a shift in viral lifestyle from lysogenic to lytic. Viruses encoding auxiliary metabolic genes (AMGs) were involved in microbial carbon and nutrient cycling, and most AMGs were transcriptionally expressed in digestate, meaning that viruses with active functional states were likely actively involved in AD. These findings provided a comprehensive profile of viral and bacterial communities and expanded knowledge of the interactions between viruses and hosts in food waste and digestate.

Food loss and waste (FLW) contains an abundance of nutrient components that can be extracted and converted into valuable bioproducts through biorefining (e.g., pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, nutrients). Australia has identified bioproducts from a FLW feedstock as one avenue through which it can meet its commitment to UN Sustainable Development Goal Target 12.3, aiming to halve food waste by 2030. An industry for bioproducts in Australia is, however, nascent and will require targeted and sustained policy intervention to advance in line with the production targets it has set to meet Target 12.3. The aim of this critical review is threefold. Firstly, it draws on the research literature to identify barriers to advancing a bioproduct industry from FLW. Secondly, it constructs a taxonomy of policies available to overcome these barriers and support industry development. Finally, it applies the taxonomy to established policy settings in Australia (examining both national settings and Queensland state settings) and the European Union (EU), where the industry and associated policy is more mature. Australia has few national policies directly targeting a bioproduct industry. A comparative assessment of policy settings allows this review to identify lessons Australia can draw from the EU experience as it advances its own industry. Findings demonstrate a complex and fragmented policy landscape. Key recommendations from the literature emphasise the need to establish coordinated strategic instruments; target research and development opportunities for optimised, sustainable processes; and implement appropriate incentives to establish a \'level playing field\', as technology readiness increases. The critical requirement for policy stability and coherence, flags the need to lay groundwork policy in this area as a priority.

The focus on sustainable utilization of agricultural waste is currently a leading area of scientific research, driving significant advancements in technology and circular economy models. The fundamental capacity of bio-based products, bioprocessing techniques, and the crucial involvement of microbial treatments are opening opportunities for efficient solutions in various industries. One of the most popular green vegetables, peas are members of the Fabaceae family and have a pod-like structure. Every year, a significant amount of pea pods is discarded as waste products of peas that have negative impacts on our environment. In this comprehensive review, we explore innovative methods for utilizing pea pods to minimize their environmental footprint and optimize their viability across multiple industries. A large portion of the pea processing industry\'s output consists of pea pods. Variety of proteins, with major classes being globulin and albumin (13%), dietary fiber (43-58%), and minerals are abundant in these pods. Because of their diverse physiochemical properties, they find applications in many diverse fields. The porous pea pods comprised cellulose (61.35%) and lignin (22.12%), which could make them superior adsorbents. The components of these byproducts possess valuable attributes that make them applicable across treatment of wastewater, production of biofuels, synthesis of biocolors, development of nutraceuticals, functional foods, and enzymes for the textile industry, modification of oil, and inhibition of steel corrosion.

In this study, the feasibility of promoting the lactic acid (LA) fermentation of food waste (FW) with iron tailings (ITs) addition was explored. The best LA yield was 0.91 g LA/g total sugar when 1 % ITs were added into the system. The mechanisms for promoting LA production were acidification alleviation effects and reduction equivalent supply of ITs. Furthermore, the addition of ITs promoted carbohydrate hydrolysis, and the carbohydrates digestibility reached 88.85 % in the 1 % ITs group. The ITs also affected the microbial communities, Lactococcus gradually replaced Streptococcus as the dominant genus, and results suggested that Lactococcus had a positive correlation with LA production and carbohydrate digestibility. Finally, the complex LAB in FW had significant effects on heavy metal removal from ITs, and the removal efficiency Cr, As, Pb, Cd, and Hg can reach 50.84 %, 26.72 %, 59.65 %, 49.75 % and 78.87 % in the 1 % ITs group, respectively.

The seeds and sap of luffa [Luffa cylindrica (L.)] are usually discarded as waste. As such, this study aimed to identify the sensory properties of luffa sap (aqueous solution) and if it can be incorporated into a food item (orange juice) for added nutritional benefits and as an alternative sweetener. A sensory trial (n = 94) asked participants to evaluate a luffa sap sample and five different orange juice samples with increasing amounts of luffa sap (control [0%], 5%, 7.5%, 10%, 12.5%). The participants evaluated the samples using 9-point hedonic scales, check-all-that-apply, and an open-ended comment question. The luffa sap was described as having a mild flavor as well as woody, earthy, and floral attributes and an aftertaste. The liking scores for the orange juice with the 5% luffa sap did not significantly differ from the control. However, as the amount of luffa sap increased above 5%, the liking scores decreased and were significantly different from the control. The orange juice with luffa sap samples (7.5% and above) was associated with off-flavors, while the orange juice with 5% luffa sap and the control were associated with the attributes (sweet, fruity, orange, tropical, citrus) that increased the participants liking. Future studies should continue to investigate the sensory properties of luffa sap and its incorporation into different food products. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: This is one of the first studies to investigate the sensory properties of luffa sap with participants residing in the Western world. The luffa sap was found to be woody, earthy, bitter, and floral. It was acceptable to add luffa sap to orange juice up to 5% by volume. However, it did not increase the sweetness perception of the orange juice. At a 7.5% luffa sap addition and higher levels, off-flavors were observed in the orange juice.