Table 1
The methods for the measurement of food waste in relation to the stages of food supply chain
| Stage of the food supply chain | Methods of measurement | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary production | Direct measurement | Mass balance |
| ||
| Processing and manufacturing | |||||
| Retail and other distribution of food | Waste composition analysis | Counting/scanning | |||
| Restaurants and food services | Diaries | ||||
| Households | |||||
[i] Source: The Project of the Commission Delegated Decision (EU) supplementing Directive 2008/98/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (Waste Framework Directive) regards a common methodology and minimum quality requirements for the uniform measurement of levels of food waste
Table 2
Direct and indirect methods for measurement of food waste
| Name of the method | Description of the method |
|---|---|
| Direct methods | |
| Direct measurement (weighing or volumetric assessment) | It consists of use of measuring device to determine the mass of food waste samples or fractions of the whole food waste, conducted directly or on the basis of their volume. It includes measurement of separately collected food waste |
| Scanning/Counting | Assessment of the number of items that make up food waste, and useof the result to determine the mass |
| Waste composition analysis | Physical separation of food waste fraction from other fractions in order to determine the mass of the fraction sorted out |
| Diaries | An individual or a group of individuals keeps a record or log of food waste information on a regular basis |
| Surveys and interviews | It consists of the development of the surveys (questionnaires) in the range of the quantitative and qualitative data and gaining appropriate information from the respondents |
| Indirect methods | |
| Mass balance | Calculation of the amount of food waste based on the mass (weight) of ‘inputs’ and ‘outputs’ of food into and out of the measured system, considering processing and consumption of food within the system |
| Coefficients | Use of previously established food waste coefficients or percentages being representative for a food industry sector or for individual business operator. Such coefficients or percentage shall be established through sampling, data provided by food business operator or by other methods. |
[i] Source: The European Commission Delegated Decision supplementing Directive 2008/98/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (Waste Framework Directive) regards a common methodology and minimum quality requirements for the uniform measurement of levels of food waste
Table 3
Indicators supplementing the measurement of food waste in the particular stages of the food supply chain
| Stage of the food supply chain | Wskaźnik Indicator |
|---|---|
| Primary production | Food production in agriculture, fishery and hunting |
| Processing and manufacturing | Production of processed food – based on PRODCOM4 data. |
| Retail and other distribution of food | Turnover of food products Population |
| Restaurants and food services | Turnover Employment (in Full Time Equivalents) |
| Households | Population Households disposable income |
[i] Source: Project of the Commission Delegated Decision (EU) supplementing Directive 2008/98/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards a common methodology and minimum quality requirements for the uniform measurement of levels of the food waste in the EU Member States