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Foods
Special Issues
Food Loss and Waste in Food Supply Chains
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Food Loss and Waste in Food Supply Chains

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 March 2026) | Viewed by 1171

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Shenggen Fan

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Economics and Management, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
Interests: food and nutrition security; agricultural and rural development; poverty reduction; the transformation of food systems; global food security
Dr. Li Xue

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Economics and Management, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
Interests: food loss and waste; sustainable food system; environmental management; material flow analysis; life cycle analysis

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Food loss and waste (FLW) represent a critical global challenge, with profound impacts on food security, resource efficiency, environmental sustainability, and economic development. Significant edible products are lost or wasted across the entire supply chain—from agricultural production and post-harvest handling to processing, distribution, retail, and consumption. This not only undermines the efficiency of food systems but also leads to considerable greenhouse gas emissions, water and land misuse, and economic costs. With growing awareness of sustainability and the urgent need to address climate change, reducing FLW has become a priority for policymakers, researchers, and practitioners. Recent studies highlight innovative strategies to prevent and reduce FLW at each stage of the supply chain, while also exploring opportunities for the valorization and circular use of unavoidable food waste. By integrating technological innovations, improved supply chain management, consumer behavior change, and supportive policy interventions, it is possible to enhance resource efficiency and minimize environmental impacts. Academic research on FLW has expanded rapidly, underscoring its global importance. Emerging approaches such as life cycle assessment, digital technologies for monitoring and traceability, and circular economy models provide new pathways to mitigate FLW and transform waste into valuable resources. This Special Issue seeks to bring together interdisciplinary insights on the drivers, impacts, and solutions to FLW, contributing to scientific advancement and the achievement of sustainable development goals.

Prof. Dr. Shenggen Fan
Dr. Li Xue
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
  • supply chain management
  • circular economy
  • resource efficiency
  • policy interventions
  • mitigation strategy
  • sustainability transitions
  • climate change

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

28 pages, 1470 KB  
Article
From Waste to Worth: A Multi-Study Investigation of Chinese Consumers’ Purchase Intentions Toward Near-Expired Bread
by Ran Gao, Haixiu Gao, Zhaokang Liu and Guangyan Cheng
Foods 2026, 15(8), 1369; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods15081369 - 15 Apr 2026
Viewed by 554
Abstract
Reducing food waste and promoting green consumption have emerged as critical priorities in the transition toward a more sustainable food system. Purchasing near-expired food (NEF) offers a pathway to address both issues simultaneously, yet the mechanisms underlying consumers’ intentions toward such products remain [...] Read more.
Reducing food waste and promoting green consumption have emerged as critical priorities in the transition toward a more sustainable food system. Purchasing near-expired food (NEF) offers a pathway to address both issues simultaneously, yet the mechanisms underlying consumers’ intentions toward such products remain underexplored. This research investigates these mechanisms through two complementary studies conducted in China, focusing on near-expired bread as a representative product category. Study 1 (N = 1154) draws on the stimulus–organism–response (SOR) framework to examine how key factors shape consumers’ purchase intentions toward near-expired bread. The results show that price discounts and longer remaining shelf life increase purchase intentions by enhancing perceived value and reducing perceived risk. Moreover, consumers’ normative beliefs with regard to food waste avoidance positively predict purchase intentions through heightened moral satisfaction. Study 2 (N = 746) employs a 2 × 3 between-subjects factorial experiment to test two types of retail interventions for near-expired bread: discount messages (50% vs. 10% off) and information framing (gain-framed vs. loss-framed). Extending Study 1, this experiment introduces two additional dependent variables—product attitudes and perceived environmental external benefits—to capture a broader range of consumer responses. ANCOVA results reveal that consumers with higher environmental concern exhibit stronger purchase intentions, more favorable product attitudes, and greater perceived environmental external benefits. Price discount messages significantly influence purchase intentions and product attitudes, whereas information framing affects purchase intentions and environmental external benefits. Notably, the two interventions interact to shape consumers’ perceptions of environmental external benefits. Together, these studies advance a comprehensive understanding of near-expired bread purchases and offer empirical guidance for designing effective retail communication strategies to promote green consumption and reduce food waste. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food Loss and Waste in Food Supply Chains)
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