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Measures to Reduce Agri-food Waste at the Retail and Consumption Stages
Author Hong, Yeona
Views 33795 Publication Date 2022.02.28
Original
Background and Purpose
○ 1.3 billion tons of agri-food are lost or discarded every year without reaching the table. 56% of the world's agri-food loss and waste occurs in developed countries (North America, Oceania, Europe, Korea, Japan, and China). The three countries—Korea, China, and Japan— account for half (28%). Considering that the amount of agri-food waste in Korea has increased by 15.8% over the past five years and the economic cost has reached KRW 20 trillion, it can be seen that the problem of agri-food disposal in Korea is also severe.

○ Disposal of agri-food throughout the agri-food supply chain incurs economic costs and increases social and environmental burdens. In particular, agri-food waste occurs the most at the retail and consumption stages. As part of international efforts, the goal of reducing agri-food waste at the retail and consumption level was set first in the Food Loss and Disposal Index (12.3) of the UN SDGs.

○ Efforts were made to reduce domestic waste, but it was evaluated that there were no epoch-making results. Existing policies that have been promoted so far show limitations as they are limited to an ex-post approach that focuses on the issue of agri-food waste treatment. In particular, the amount of agri-food waste generated in Korea is expected to be continuously affected by changes in consumption trends and the retail environment. However, seeking an appropriate reduction plan to respond to these changes is a tough challenge as the causes of agri-food waste in the retail and consumption stages, the contribution by each of them, and the effects and limitations of the existing regulations are not traceable.

○ To suggest effective alternatives to agri-food waste reduction, it is necessary to understand the current status of agri-food waste in the retail and consumption stages. In addition, it is essential to analyze the actual conditions of agri-food disposal by related sectors and the behavioral factors of the subjects and analyze the economic effect and acceptance of reduction alternatives. Based on these endeavors, this study presents effective alternatives. Also, it identifies the actual conditions and factors of disposal occurring in the retail and consumption stages of agri-food and derive effective reduction measures.

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