Food waste measurement How to decide on a

Food waste measurement: How to decide on a method? Dr Tom Quested Lead Analyst 16 th October 2020

What WRAP do…

“Tom, what’s the best method for measuring food wasted in the home? ”

“Well, that depends…”

How’s the data going to be used? Can be lower accuracy Lower accuracy May not require many details Requires detail Create case for change Understand & Prioritize Evaluate Track progress Higher accuracy May not require many details Based on section 2. 1 of Technical Report on FW measurement, Commission for Environmental Cooperation

Discussant slides Dr Tom Quested Lead Analyst 16 th October 2020

Uncertainties and mass balance Food waste estimate increases to 19 kg / person / year (increase of 27%) Purchases actually 5% (4 kg / person / year) higher Estimated level of food waste = 15 kg / person / year Key message: mass balance amplifies uncertainty Adapted from: FLW Accounting and Reporting Standard: Guidance On FLW quantification methods (Box 8. 1) https: //flwprotocol. org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/FLW_Protocol_Guidance_on_FLW_Quantification_Methods. pdf

What’s the magnitude of diary underestimation? Diary underestimation 40% WCA Diary From: Comparing diaries and waste compositional analysis for measuring food waste in the home, https: //doi. org/10. 1016/j. jclepro. 2020. 121263

What’s the magnitude of diary underestimation? From: Comparing diaries and waste compositional analysis for measuring food waste in the home, https: //doi. org/10. 1016/j. jclepro. 2020. 121263

Diary underestimation From: Comparing diaries and waste compositional analysis for measuring food waste in the home https: //doi. org/10. 1016/j. jclepro. 2020. 121263