Abstract
Global estimates suggest that over a third of all food produced is wasted throughout the value chain. International trends present that as a country develops, waste moves up the supply chain from pre- to post-consumer stages. South Africa(SA) as an emerging economy can therefore expect similar trends. Because current figures show that SA wastes on average R61.5 billion per annum, whilst many households are labelled as food insecure (FAO), addressing food waste is crucial. Recent research proposed that although challenging, interdisciplinary teamwork at higher education institutions could address problems that impede sustainable development (SDG12) such as food waste. This paper presents that existing student-initiated projects at a SA University may hold the key. During 2022-23, students from various disciplines within the food value chain (retail, culinary and hospitality) were challenged to explore possible solutions to combat food waste. The project presented three main methodologies. 1.SWOT analysis: Identifying food waste streams that could be upcycled 2.Consumer survey: Exploring product-related attributes to be incorporated in NPD 3. NPD and pilot testing: Testing consumers’ willingness to engage with upcycled food products. Results indicated that given the opportunity, students from different disciplines could work together towards finding innovative solutions to combat real-life problems in the SA food landscape (e.g. identifying waste streams, exploring sensory and product-related attributes, developing novel products and testing their viability in a real-life scenario).
Presenters
Nadene Marx PienaarLecturer, Consumer and Food Sciences, University of Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa Adeline Pretorius
Lecturer, Department of Consumer and Food Sciences, University of Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa Hanri Taljaard Swart
Lecturer, Consumer and Food Sciences, University of Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa Nadine Du Piesanie
Assistant Lecturer, Consumer and Food Sciences, University of Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa Hennie Fisher
Senior Lecturer, Department of Consumer and Food Sciences, University of Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
Food Production and Sustainability
KEYWORDS
Food waste, Interdisciplinary research
Digital Media
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