The 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: 10 January 2026 | Viewed by 21
Special Issue Editors
Interests: food quality and safety; chromatography; antioxidants; natural and xenobiotic contaminants; functional foods; agri-food waste recovery
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
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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