Preventing Food Waste Starts at Home

Food waste is a growing challenge for our food system, but preventing it does not always require major changes. Some of the most important solutions can begin at home — with better planning, smarter purchasing and more effective food storage.

According to research presented in the scientific paper Smart Strategies for Household Food Waste Management, around 88 million tonnes of food waste are generated every year in the European Union. Households account for approximately 53% of this waste, while up to 45.8% of household food waste could be avoidable and is closely linked to consumer awareness and everyday behaviour.

This highlights an important point: preventing food waste is not only about managing food once it becomes waste. It is also about making better decisions before that happens. Knowing what food we already have, remembering expiration dates, storing products correctly and planning purchases can all help prevent unnecessary waste.

But could technology make these everyday decisions easier?

In their research, Federica Cappelletti, Alessandra Papetti, Marta Rossi and Michele Germani propose an integrated system designed to help households reduce food waste. The concept combines a smart refrigerator that tracks food stocks, a web application and additional services that support everyday food management, including proper food storage and purchase planning. Expiration-date tracking and effective information management are at the heart of the proposed solution.

The researchers also evaluated the usability of the system with potential users and examined its possible environmental and economic benefits. Their results point to significant potential for smart solutions to contribute to more sustainable household food management.

The idea is simple: when people have better information about the food they already own, they can make better decisions about what to buy, store and use.

Want to learn more? Read the scientific paper Smart Strategies for Household Food Waste Management by Federica Cappelletti, Alessandra Papetti, Marta Rossi and Michele Germani. The paper explores the proposed system, its methodology, user evaluation and potential environmental and economic benefits.

The paper is available to explore and download through ResearchGate.