Source: UNIV OF PENNSYLVANIA submitted to NRP
THE LAST FOOD MILE: A CONFERENCE ON FOOD LOSSS AND FOOD WASTE IN THE UNITED STATES
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
COMPLETE
Funding Source
AFRI COMPETITIVE GRANT
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
1002768
Grant No.
2014-68004-21893
Cumulative Award Amt.
$49,250.00
Proposal No.
2013-05719
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
May 1, 2014
Project End Date
Apr 30, 2015
Grant Year
2014
Program Code
[A5150]- Global Food Security: Conference or Workshop
Recipient Organization
UNIV OF PENNSYLVANIA
(N/A)
PHILADELPHIA,PA 19104
Performing Department
5805 - Clinical Studies-New Bo
Non Technical Summary
We face the daunting challenge of feeding the world's growing population with ample nutritious food while preserving the health and critical functions of the ecosystems. Today, 1 in 8 people are undernourished worldwide; and in the United States, an estimated 49 million people live in food-insecure households. Yet, about 1/3 of all edible food produced for human consumption is wasted, according to recent national and international estimates. The huge amount of food wasted, tens of million tons annually in the United States alone, means lost opportunities to feed hungry people as well as tremendous wasted resources and serious environmental externalities. Food loss and food waste occurs in every sector of the food supply chain (FSC), from field harvest through processing, marketing, distribution, to consumption. However, despite statistical-based national-scale estimates and anecdotal evidence in the literature, there is a dearth of comprehensive studies examining the extent, breadth, and depth of the problem and connecting it with affecting factors in a systematic way. This is because traditionally few of the nation's resources have been devoted to studying food waste related issues. This conference, the first of its kind in the nation, is planned to gather national and international, academic and industrial, public and private personnel to share information, discuss strategies, and form a network for future collaboration on research, education, and outreach efforts toward food waste reduction.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
100%
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
90350103030100%
Knowledge Area
903 - Communication, Education, and Information Delivery;

Subject Of Investigation
5010 - Food;

Field Of Science
3030 - Information and communication;
Goals / Objectives
Systematically examine and understand food loss and food waste along the food supply chain, i.e. from farm to table, in the United States. Specific objectives are: (i) Define the state of knowledge on food loss and food waste in the United States, (ii) Understand factors affecting food waste behavior and identify critical control points, (iii) Build a network for comprehensive research and intervention strategies toward food waste reduction.
Project Methods
This conference is the first of its kind in the nation.National and international, academic and industrial, public and private entities will come together and share information, discuss strategies and methodologies, create a framework for understanding food waste and associated policy interventions, and form a network for future collaboration on research, education, and outreach efforts toward food waste reduction.Conference agenda will be further refined by an expanded working group emcompassing experts from different fields and organizations.Conference announcement will be made via traditional as well as present-day technologically driven means, e.g. posting in relevant magazines, professional society contacts, listserv, and online listing.

Progress 05/01/14 to 04/30/15

Outputs
Target Audience:Individuals of public and private sectors, government agencies and NGOs, industries and universities, local, regional, national, and international audience Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?More than 200 people - from the public and private sectors, government agencies and NGOs, industries and universities, local, regional, national, and a few international guests - demonstrated a high degree of enthusiasm and engaged in lively discussions throughout the two-day event. Conference summary, post-conference survey results, and conference attendee list are available at: repository.upenn.edu/thelastfoodmile/followup/ How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The conference is impactful in multiple ways. First, the event provided an opportunity for people to come together to exchange ideas, learn from each other, engage, mobilize, and network. Second, the essence of the issue (food waste in the context of growing food security and environmental challenges) goes far beyond the conference event. After conference presentations were posted on the Internet (repository.upenn.edu/thelastfoodmile/sessions/), there have been 2,107 downloads since January 2015. Third, a book, stemming from the conference, is currently being organized; the tentative title is "The Last Food Mile: Food Loss&Waste and Its Reduction, Recovery, and Recycling in the United States - A 2015 Status Report". The book will be one-of-a-kind and a useful resource for many. Fourth, we are continuing and expanding our outreach through research and education efforts, e.g. incorporating food waste and food security into the curriculum, engaging students in and out of classroom settings, and conducting focus studies on consumer food behavior through grants from the University of Pennsylvania Research Foundation as well as PURM (Penn Undergraduate Research Mentoring Program). What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? The Conference, "The last food mile conference - Food loss and food waste in the U.S. supply chain", was held on December 8-9, 2014 at the University of Pennsylvania. Twenty-five invited speakers addressed food waste-related issues in four panels: (i) Food industry initiatives and case studies, (ii) Consumer level food wastage, (iii) Food waste reduction, recovery, and recycling, (iv) Behavioral change. In addition, keynote presentations covered broader topics linking food wastage with the challenges of sustainably feeding 9 billion people in the coming decades. For conference program overview and speaker information, visit: repository.upenn.edu/thelastfoodmile/Last_Food_Mile_Program.pdt

Publications

  • Type: Websites Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: http://repository.upenn.edu/thelastfoodmile/ http://repository.upenn.edu/thelastfoodmile/Last_Food_Mile_Program.pdf http://www.vet.upenn.edu/last-food-mile-conference
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: http://repository.upenn.edu/thelastfoodmile/sessions/