There is an urgent need for primary data collection on food waste to obtain solid quantification data that can be used as an indicator in the goal of halving food waste by 2030. This study examined how quality baselines for food waste can be achieved within the different segments of the hospitality sector, encompassing establishments such as canteens, elderly care units, hospitals, hotels, preschools, primary schools, restaurants, and upper secondary schools. The empirical material comprised food-waste quantification data measured in 1189 kitchens in Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Germany for 58,812 quantification days and 23 million portions. All the data were converted to a common format for analysis. According to the findings, around 20% of food served became waste. Waste per portion varied widely between establishments, ranging from 50.1 ± 9.4 g/portion for canteens to 192 ± 30 g/portion for restaurants. To identify the measurement precision needed for tracking changes over time, we suggest statistical measures that could be used in future studies or in different food-waste tracking initiatives.

Hartikainen, Riipi, Katajajuuri and Silvennoinen present a quality standard for food waste quantification in Finland where the previous food waste studies provide knowledge of the most suitable quantification methods. The standard describes the best methods for each part of the food chain. For instance, questionnaires are appropriate to collect waste data from primary production and manufacturing, whereas concentrated data collection is suitable for retail. To make data collection consistent, it is also important to collaborate and discuss common definitions between the actors of the food chain. Additionally, the aim is to establish a food waste road map where the Finnish food chain actors set targets and agree on the best practices to reduce food waste.

This study reports food waste diary results in Finland from 2019 (296 households) and 2022 (372 households) using an online food waste diary Kotihukka. According to the results, Finnish households waste 15.5-16.9 kg (SD 16.7-17.5 kg) of edible food per person per year. The results are an underestimate, but diary method is still a suitable method for collecting detailed and household specific food waste data and monitoring the relative difference in waste volumes. Furthermore, to evaluate the results, it is important to concentrate on 1) sample requirements for repeated measures, 2) needed resources, and 3) methodological restrictions. First, food waste diary studies often lack evidence-based discussion on the adequacy of data to monitor the direction of food waste. This study demonstrated that the sample sizes and length of the observation period (14 days) would be sufficient to detect a population-level decrease of 20-25 % in the amount of food waste during the next decade. Secondly, as bigger sample sizes require more resources, the necessity of kitchen scales was systematically studied for the first time. This study found evidence that households can report food waste as reliably without the assistance of kitchen scales as with kitchen scales, and therefore it is possible to cut costs and improve scalability without causing measurement bias. Third, since often most motivated participants attend the diary studies, this study also provides strong evidence that a self-selection bias can be reduced with monetary compensation: the household dropout rate decreased from 29 % to 7 %.

Food waste is generated at several stages of the food chain. According to the European Waste Hierarchy, the creation of food waste should above all be prevented, meaning that waste materials with good microbial and nutritional quality should be directed to food use, either directly or through light processing. However, to be feasible, food waste utilisation solutions should be economically profitable, environmentally sustainable and scalable to provide a means to utilise a larger share of the raw materials. In this study, we propose a feasibility evaluation approach for food waste utilisation and prevention solutions. We use two case examples: (1) an artisan bar soap product based on carrot peels, and (2) the retail selling of 2nd class carrots. Both cases are evaluated with six feasibility indicators: edible food waste reduction potential, scalability, level at waste hierarchy, climate impact reduction potential, economic impact, and social impact. Case 2 performed better regarding all indicators other than economic impact. Critical aspects that need to be improved included climate reduction potential for both cases and food waste reduction potential for case 1. The results show that this kind of a holistic approach is useful in identifying the most feasible food waste prevention and utilisation measures.