Which Food Parts Are Considered Edible And Should Be Included In Food Waste Reduction Targets

Tomoko  Okayama; Kohei  Watanabe; Hajime  Yamakawa

doi:10.31025/2611-4135/2024.18359

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WHICH FOOD PARTS ARE CONSIDERED EDIBLE AND SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN FOOD WASTE REDUCTION TARGETS

Tomoko Okayama - Taisho University, Japan
Kohei Watanabe - Teikyo University, Japan
Hajime Yamakawa - Kyoto Prefectural University, Japan

Available online in Detritus - Volume 26 - March 2024
Pages 44-53

DOI 10.31025/2611-4135/2024.18359

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Abstract

SDG target 12.3 aims to reduce household avoidable food waste by half by 2030. This study introduces the "Tokyo Method," designed to quantify and categorize household food waste for reduction. The method divides avoidable food waste into three groups: A: unused ingredients, B: unused ready-to-be-eaten foods, and C: leftovers, with a goal of reducing their volume. Edible parts intentionally removed from the main food are placed in a separate category ”De”, while inedible parts like seeds and bones have their own classification ”Di”. An internet survey involving 1,254 participants in Japan assessed perceptions of 65 food items and their parts. Most respondents considered peels, cores, seeds, and stems of fruits as inedible, but there were exceptions like apple peels. Regarding vegetable parts like potato peels and cabbage leaves, a good number of respondents are aware that they could be eaten, but it is only a minority that believe they should be eaten, or they actually eat those parts. In conclusion, the study suggests excluding the "De" category from the primary food waste reduction target, as forcing the consumption of intentionally removed food parts is not a priority. This research sheds light on the complexities of food waste reduction, considering cultural and individual preferences regarding edible food parts.

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Editorial History

Received: 16 Sep 2023
Revised: 18 Feb 2024
Accepted: 28 Feb 2024
Available online: 25 Mar 2024

References

Nicholes, Miranda J.; Quested, Tom E.; Reynolds, Christian; Gillick, Sam; and Parry, Andrew D. (2019) Surely you don’t eat parsnip skins? Cartegorising the edibility of food waste, Resources, Conservation & Recycling 147 179-188

Okayama, Tomoko; Watanabe, Kohei; and Yamakawa, Hajime (2021) Sorting Analysis of Household Food Waste - Development of a Methodology Compatible with the Aims of SDG12.3, Sustainability 13(15) 8576;
DOI 10.3390/su13158576