Food loss and waste and the modernization of vegetable value chains in Thailand

• Published in: Resources, conservation and recycling Vol. 174; p. 105714
• Main Authors: Ortiz-Gonzalo, Daniel, Ørtenblad, Sinne Borby, Larsen, Marianne Nylandsted, Suebpongsang, Pornsiri, Bruun, Thilde Bech
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 01.11.2021
• Subjects: Cosmetic standards; Direct measurements; Food loss and waste hotspots; Food quality requirements; Value chain analysis; Waste management hierarchy; Value chain analysis; Waste management hierarchy; Direct measurements; Food quality requirements; Food loss and waste hotspots; Cosmetic standards
• ISSN: 0921-3449; 1879-0658
• DOI: 10.1016/j.resconrec.2021.105714

The rapid growth of affluent urban populations and the associated modernization of food value chains are reshaping agricultural production and consumption in the Global South. Here we explore how the traditional-to-modern transition is affecting food loss and waste (FLW) using an empirical case study from Thailand. Despite the consolidation of modern retailing in the 1990s, traditional market channels and smallholder agriculture have remained operational and widespread across the country. We identified related factors affecting FLW and food quality requirements by combining stakeholder focus groups and semi-structured interviews with quantitative measurements along the value chain for Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa, subsp. pekinensis). Quality requirements were often accompanied by FLW generation and propagated upstream the value chain. At the field level, factors affecting both FLW and food quality included weather events, pests and diseases, and low prices at the farm gate. However, products that did not meet supermarket requirements could still find a market channel in traditional, wholesale markets. In both pathways, a head of cabbage lost 44 to 66% of its wet weight before reaching the consumer, as stakeholders trimmed the outer leaves at each node of the value chain. Stakeholders associated with modern retailers produced on average significantly more waste from trimming (42%) than other stakeholders that are less tied to cosmetic standards (18-24%). We conclude that, alongside technological advances in the modernization of food value chains, preserving pathways for non-compliant products is key to preventing FLW if cosmetic standards prevail. Food loss and waste (FLW) hotspots related to trimming of outer leaves (%) along the cabbage value chain. Five stakeholders were identified: 1) Smallholder farmers; 2) Small traders; 3) Big traders; 4) Preferred traders selling to supermarkets; 5) Small retailers in wholesale markets. The arrows represent the trade in cabbage among stakeholders [Display omitted] .