Can Technology Help Us Waste Less?
Food waste is one of the major challenges facing our food system — and a surprisingly large part of the solution starts in our own kitchens.
In the European Union, an estimated 88 million tonnes of food waste are generated every year. According to research presented in the scientific paper Smart Strategies for Household Food Waste Management, around 53% of this waste comes from households. Even more importantly, up to 45.8% of household food waste may be avoidable and is closely connected to consumer awareness and everyday behaviour.
This means that preventing food waste is not only about what happens to food once it becomes waste. It is also about the decisions we make before that happens: what we buy, how much we buy, where and how we store food, and whether we remember what is already in our refrigerator.
The research explores how technology can help us make better decisions. The authors propose an integrated system combining a smart refrigerator capable of monitoring food stocks, a web application and services designed to support everyday food management. The system focuses particularly on tracking expiration dates, managing information about food at home, planning purchases and improving storage practices.
The idea is simple but powerful: better information can lead to better decisions — and better decisions can prevent waste before it is created.
The study also evaluated the usability of the proposed system with potential users and examined its environmental and economic potential. The results suggest that smart solutions could play an important role in reducing household food waste while creating benefits beyond environmental protection.
Preventing food waste therefore requires more than better waste management. It requires a change in how we plan, purchase, store and consume food. Digital tools and smart technologies could become an important part of that transition.
If you would like to explore how technology can help households reduce food waste and manage food more efficiently, read the scientific paper “Smart Strategies for Household Food Waste Management” by Federica Cappelletti, Alessandra Papetti, Marta Rossi and Michele Germani.
The paper is available through ResearchGate, where you can learn more about the proposed system, its methodology and its potential environmental and economic benefits.