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10.3
5.1
Journals
Foods
Special Issues
Food Loss and Waste: Impact, Measurement, and Management
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Food Loss and Waste: Impact, Measurement, and Management

A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Security and Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2026 | Viewed by 2618

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Donatella Restuccia

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Management, Sapienza University of Rome, Via del Castro Laurenziano 9, 00161 Rome, Italy
Interests: food quality and safety; functional foods; agri-food wastes; circular economy; chromatography; antioxidants
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Roberto Ruggieri

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Management, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
Interests: technological innovation; customer satisfaction; total quality management typicality of made in Italy food; new technologies of Industry 4.0; eco-innovation and sustainability
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Food loss and waste (FLW) represent a critical challenge, exerting considerable environmental, social, and economic impacts. According to Target 12.3 of the UN 2030 Agenda and initiatives such as the EU Platform on Food Losses and Food Waste and the global Champions 12.3 coalition, the objective is to reduce per capita global food waste and to decrease food losses across the supply chain by half. However, despite growing policy attention and international efforts persistent barriers - including inconsistent measurement, limited data, and underdeveloped valorisation pathways - continue to limit progress. This Special Issue aims to collect contributions addressing FLW through innovative assessment methodologies, waste prevention strategies, circular economy solutions, and advanced management technologies. We particularly welcome original research, reviews, and policy analyses that explore systemic approaches, techno-economic evaluations, and real-world applications. This issue draws on international efforts, to promote actionable knowledge and support the transition toward more resilient, efficient, and sustainable food systems.

Dr. Donatella Restuccia
Dr. Roberto Ruggieri
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Foods is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • food loss
  • food waste
  • circular food systems
  • waste management technologies
  • measurement and monitoring
  • waste quantification methodologies
  • key indicators
  • supply chain innovation

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

20 pages, 885 KB  
Article
Understanding the Food Waste Reduction Intentions of Consumers in Turkiye Through the Value–Attitude–Behavior Framework
by Şaziye Ecem Örkü, Merve Nur Uçak, Elif Şahin, Ece Öneş, Meryem Kahrıman, Cansu Gençalp, Murat Baş and Perim Fatma Türker
Foods 2026, 15(12), 2127; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods15122127 (registering DOI) - 12 Jun 2026
Viewed by 193
Abstract
Food loss and waste are a major global problem as reflected in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 12. Households constitute the primary source of food waste worldwide. The development of effective solutions depends on a comprehensive understanding of consumer attitudes and behaviors. [...] Read more.
Food loss and waste are a major global problem as reflected in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 12. Households constitute the primary source of food waste worldwide. The development of effective solutions depends on a comprehensive understanding of consumer attitudes and behaviors. This cross-sectional study used the Value–Attitude–Behavior (VAB) hierarchy to examine consumers’ food waste reduction intentions. It was conducted on individuals in Turkiye via an online survey. The results showed that consumers’ hedonic value and attitudes were positively associated with food waste reduction intentions. The strongest associations with intentions were observed for anticipated guilt, attitude toward reducing food waste, and hedonic value. Furthermore, education level and household size showed significant effects on food waste reduction intentions. In conclusion, these findings based on the VAB model showed the central role of anticipated guilt in shaping food waste reduction intentions, suggesting that emotionally driven intervention strategies may be more effective than approaches focusing solely on attitudes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food Loss and Waste: Impact, Measurement, and Management)
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31 pages, 1236 KB  
Article
Food Waste and Consumer Behavior: A Bibliometric and Review Study and Future Research Directions
by Paula Karina Salume, Marcelo Werneck Barbosa and Marcelo de Rezende Pinto
Foods 2026, 15(2), 380; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods15020380 - 21 Jan 2026
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1731
Abstract
Despite an increasing number of studies on food waste, the research field on consumer behavior and food waste lacks a characterization of research specifically focused on how consumers behave regarding food waste. This study conducted a bibliometric analysis of literature on consumer behavior [...] Read more.
Despite an increasing number of studies on food waste, the research field on consumer behavior and food waste lacks a characterization of research specifically focused on how consumers behave regarding food waste. This study conducted a bibliometric analysis of literature on consumer behavior and food waste, characterizing the research community and identifying themes and emerging issues based on the Web of Science database. This study analyzed the evolution of the field over time and identified the most influential countries, authors, and sources, as well as the international collaboration networks in the area. We also highlighted the thematic trends in the research field of consumer behavior in food waste. In addition, we identified the methodological and contextual gaps cited in the literature in order to provide a future research agenda. This study concludes that the relationship between food waste and consumer behavior has become a pivotal axis of contemporary debates on sustainability, encompassing psychosocial determinants, household routines, and systemic and contextual factors that shape everyday food practices. Our findings also suggest a lack of integration between policies, interventions, and knowledge about FW determinants, calling for future studies to assess the effectiveness of interventions in altering consumer FW behavior. The findings of this study can contribute to the design of marketing campaigns and sustainable strategies for agri-food companies, as well as the development and improvement of public policies in this area. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food Loss and Waste: Impact, Measurement, and Management)
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