Carbon and water footprint of food loss and waste prevention actions: Cradle-to-grave life cycle assessment of a prepared salad

Food loss and waste (FLW) represents a major challenge for sustainable development. FLW prevention actions are proliferating, but key gaps persist in assessing their actual net environmental benefits, particularly in prevention at the point of generation. Additionally, data transparency is still a key issue. This study aims to assess the environmental impacts avoided by 5 groups of FLW prevention actions implemented in a prepared salad case study in Spain. Additionally, 4 different salad recipes are analysed, so that the influence of ingredient composition on the effectiveness of FLW prevention actions is accounted for as well. A cradle-to-grave life cycle assessment (LCA) was conducted to have a holistic view of the real impacts across the entire system. The methodology involves an identification and characterisation of the points of FLW generation, enabling a more precise estimation of the FLW that can be reduced through prevention actions. Results indicate that innovative governance solutions yield the most positive impacts, avoiding climate change impacts by 9.8 and water use by 8.80 %. The salad with higher proportions of animal-based ingredients experienced the largest impact reductions. These findings highlight areas for targeted prevention efforts for decision makers. Primary production generated the most environmental impacts coming from FLW. However, the holistic perspective taken demonstrated that effective prevention should focus on downstream points of generation. In conclusion, the presented LCA approach accurately identifies the most promising FLW prevention opportunities to improve the environmental performance of food products. The enhanced data transparency improves accuracy and promotes openness and accountability in LCA and FLW research. • Using 1 kg of food eaten as the functional unit ensures accurate impact assessment. • A cradle-to-grave approach is needed to fairly assign responsibility across stages. • FLW prevention actions' effectiveness depends on the causes of FLW generation. • FLW governance actions showed the greatest environmental benefits in the case study. • FLW prevention efforts should prioritize animal-based foods to maximise impact.