Environmental impacts and hotspots of food losses : value chain analysis of Swiss food consumption

Beretta, Claudio; Stucki, Matthias; Hellweg, Stefanie

doi:10.1021/acs.est.6b06179

Publication type:	Article in scientific journal
Type of review:	Peer review (publication)
Title:	Environmental impacts and hotspots of food losses : value chain analysis of Swiss food consumption
Authors:	Beretta, Claudio Stucki, Matthias Hellweg, Stefanie
DOI:	10.1021/acs.est.6b06179
Published in:	Environmental Science & Technology
Volume(Issue):	51
Issue:	19
Page(s):	11165
Pages to:	11173
Issue Date:	1-Sep-2017
Publisher / Ed. Institution:	American Chemical Society
ISSN:	0013-936X 1520-5851
Language:	English
Subjects:	Life Cycle Assessment; Ökobilanz; Food Waste
Subject (DDC):	333: Economics of land and resources 338: Production
Abstract:	Reducing food losses and waste is crucial to making our food system more efficient and sustainable. This is the first paper that quantifies the environmental impacts of food waste by distinguishing the various stages of the food value chain, 33 food categories that represent the whole food basket in Switzerland, and including food waste treatment. Environmental impacts are expressed in terms of climate change and biodiversity impacts due to water and land use. Climate change impacts of food waste are highest for fresh vegetables, due to the large amounts wasted, while the specific impact per kg is largest for beef. Biodiversity impacts are mainly caused by cocoa and coffee (16% of total) and by beef (12%). Food waste at the end of the food value chain (households and food services) causes almost 60% of the total climate impacts of food waste, because of the large quantities lost at this stage and the higher accumulated impacts per kg of product. The net environmental benefits from food waste treatment are only 5-10% of the impacts from production and supply of the wasted food. Thus, avoiding food waste should be a first-line priority, while optimizing the method of treatment is less relevant.
URI:	https://digitalcollection.zhaw.ch/handle/11475/11745
Fulltext version:	Published version
License (according to publishing contract):	Licence according to publishing contract
Departement:	Life Sciences and Facility Management
Organisational Unit:	Institute of Natural Resource Sciences (IUNR)
Appears in collections:	Publikationen Life Sciences und Facility Management

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Beretta, C., Stucki, M., & Hellweg, S. (2017). Environmental impacts and hotspots of food losses : value chain analysis of Swiss food consumption. Environmental Science & Technology, 51(19), 11165–11173. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.6b06179

Beretta, C., Stucki, M. and Hellweg, S. (2017) ‘Environmental impacts and hotspots of food losses : value chain analysis of Swiss food consumption’, Environmental Science & Technology, 51(19), pp. 11165–11173. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.6b06179.

C. Beretta, M. Stucki, and S. Hellweg, “Environmental impacts and hotspots of food losses : value chain analysis of Swiss food consumption,” Environmental Science & Technology, vol. 51, no. 19, pp. 11165–11173, Sep. 2017, doi: 10.1021/acs.est.6b06179.

BERETTA, Claudio, Matthias STUCKI und Stefanie HELLWEG, 2017. Environmental impacts and hotspots of food losses : value chain analysis of Swiss food consumption. Environmental Science & Technology. 1 September 2017. Bd. 51, Nr. 19, S. 11165–11173. DOI 10.1021/acs.est.6b06179

Beretta, Claudio, Matthias Stucki, and Stefanie Hellweg. 2017. “Environmental Impacts and Hotspots of Food Losses : Value Chain Analysis of Swiss Food Consumption.” Environmental Science & Technology 51 (19): 11165–73. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.6b06179.

Beretta, Claudio, et al. “Environmental Impacts and Hotspots of Food Losses : Value Chain Analysis of Swiss Food Consumption.” Environmental Science & Technology, vol. 51, no. 19, Sept. 2017, pp. 11165–73, https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.6b06179.