CAUSES OF FOOD WASTE AND REDUCTION POSSIBILITIES

Abstract

Food waste is a very sensitive problem in today's world, but people do not always realize that they are responsible for this problem and the ways to solve it. Food waste negatively affects not only the ecological environment, but also the economy and social environment. After conducting a scientific literature and comparative analysis, the concept of food waste is presented in a theoretical aspect, using a descriptive method, the differences between the concepts of "food waste" and "food loss" are described. After systematizing the statistical data, it is described what kind of food losses are experienced in the world, in Europe, and what structure of food waste prevails in Lithuania. Although food waste is prevalent at all stages of the food supply chain, households account for the largest share of food waste. Food at home spoils due to improper storage, improper unsupported order in the refrigerator, incorrectly estimated food needs, improper shopping habits, etc. Using the summarization method, suggestions for reducing food waste are presented, such as: planning food needs, choosing unattractive fruits or vegetables, storing food properly, understanding product labeling, using leftover food, and others.