Promoting sustainable food production through waste reduction and valorization: a California case study
Food waste poses significant challenges to global food security, environmental sustainability, and resource efficiency. This study examines waste in California’s specialty crops (tree nuts and fruits) across pre-harvest, harvest, and post-harvest stages, highlighting issues like overproduction, natural disasters, pests, labor costs, and poor handling. Solutions include good agricultural practices, good handling practices, hazard analysis and critical control points, green technologies, and resource recovery. A bio-circular economy approach is proposed, focusing on waste valorization and education to build sustainable food systems.
Authors
- Roya Maboudian (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5121-6560)
- Mohammadmehdi Maharlooei (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5750-3168)
- Reza Ehsani (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6498-9079)
- L. Afsah‐Hejri (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0097-4468)
Institutions
- University of California, Merced (US)
- Lakeland College (US)
- University of California, Berkeley (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- npj Materials Sustainability
- Published
- 2025-06-16
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s44296-025-00060-0
- Citations
- 5
- Primary Topic
- Food Waste Reduction and Sustainability
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 5.81