CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2021
| Author | Merkle, Eden |
|---|---|
| Title | Barriers and Incentives for Food Waste Reduction: A Case Study of NYC Restaurants |
| Summary | A third of the food that is produced ends up in landfills around the world. In the United States, that number is 40% of the annual food supply (Feeding America 2021). In the face of rising food insecurity after the COVID-19 pandemic, food waste is a symptom of a flawed food system. Working towards solutions including source reduction and redistribution of excess food can develop pillars of food justice, food security, and access. As the largest sector producer of food waste, the restaurant and food service industry are of particular interest in investigating food waste efforts. Surveys and anecdotal evidence from 51 restaurants around New York City revealed barriers and incentives for both reducing restaurant food waste and taking part in food donation practices. Main barriers identified included restaurant liability concerns, financial barriers, lack of information and awareness. Lessons for city food policies include: scaling solutions by establishing cross-agency information sharing, reexamining city food donation models, prioritizing donation laws, and targeted education within the food industry on financial incentives and legal liability protections. |
| Supervisor | Aistara, Guntra |
| Department | Environment Sciences and Policy MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2021/merkle_eden.pdf |
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