Research & reports

農林水産省 · 農林水産省 新事業・食品産業部 · Japan

Industry-specific targets for food-recycling implementation rates set under Japan's basic policy on promoting the recycling of food-related resources (Food Recycling Act), published March 14, 2025: 95% for food manufacturing, 75% for wholesale, 65% for retail, and 50% for food service.

消費者庁 · 消費者庁（農林水産省・環境省と連携） · Japan

Japan's Consumer Affairs Agency published its FY2023 food loss estimate on June 27, 2025. Total food loss was 4.64 million tonnes, down from 4.72 million tonnes the prior year, split between 2.31 million tonnes from businesses and 2.33 million tonnes from households.

環境省 · 環境省 · Japan

Japan's Ministry of the Environment estimates FY2023 food loss at about 4.64 million tonnes (2.33 million tonnes household, 2.31 million tonnes business), down from 4.72 million tonnes the previous year. Under the Food Loss Reduction Promotion Act's basic policy, Japan targets halving household food loss and cutting business food loss 60% by FY2030, both against a FY2000 baseline.

Shigetomi Y., Ishigami A., Long Y., Chapman A. · Nature Communications, 15:8987 · Japan

Demonstrates that per-capita household food waste in Japan rises with the age of the household head, reaching roughly three times higher for those 70+ than for those under 30, with correspondingly large differences in food-waste-related greenhouse gas emissions. It highlights the need for age-targeted food-loss reduction strategies in an ageing society.

Edwards F., Mercer H. · Local Environment (Taylor & Francis), 29(10) · Global

An ethnographic study of ShareWaste, an online community-composting platform in Sydney and Canberra that connects food-waste donors directly with households hosting compost heaps to divert waste from landfill. Drawing on environmental humanities and discard studies, it explores the relationships among people, soil, compost, and food waste and the community-building these practices foster.

· Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems · South America

Study examining the use of urban food waste compost in urban agriculture in Rosario, Argentina. Analyzes waste-to-resource conversion and organic cycling potential.

Terrile R., Martinez N., Brunotto F., Rizzi M., Scarpeci T., Tornaghi C. · Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems · Rosario, Argentina

Analyses and characterises urban waste-based composts used on two city farms in Rosario, evaluating their use for soil fertility management in agroecological horticultural production.

Pierric Calenge, Maie Gérardot · Métropolitiques · United States (Cleveland)

The work by Max Rousseau and Vincent Béal illuminates the ambiguities of a policy that organizes urban decline and racial segregation in Cleveland. This policy promotes urban degrowth and racial segregation, balancing algorithmic management and urban greening. The study focuses on the Rust Belt region, which experiences de-urbanization marked by the subprime crisis, racism, and segregation.

Jungho Suh, A. W. Graham · Community Development · Australia (South Australia)

This study explores the agri-social characteristics of "Grow Free," a grassroots initiative in South Australia that promotes sharing free seeds, seedlings, fruits, and vegetables, which grew to approximately 230 participants by 2022. Based on 50 survey responses and 17 interviews, the research found that diverse non-governmental organizations and residential households participate, with many households also linked to other grassroots initiatives. Grow Free facilitates collaborative food production and consumption at a local scale, fostering community building and resilience through food sharing.

B. Hari Saptanin Tyas, Fadjarini Sulistyowati, Widati Widati · JMM (Jurnal Masyarakat Mandiri) · Indonesia (Yogyakarta)

The Code Hijau Asri Farmer Group in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, consisting of 36 members, faced limitations in processing their urban farming products, Brazilian spinach and catfish, for income generation. A training program was conducted to enhance their skills in processing, packaging, and branding these products. The training resulted in 100% participant satisfaction with the content and practice, and 75% expressed interest in developing culinary businesses from the processed products, indicating an increase in the group's capacity.

Xiaoying Ding, Shuqi Zhao, Xiaopeng Yue, Yangang Xing, Zhiyuan Zhao · Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems · China

This study explored the correlation between design factors and the benefits of an edible campus, using the South Campus of Hebei University of Technology in China as a case study. Through 261 questionnaire surveys and 30 interviews, it identified seven design factor categories and five benefit categories, including environmental education and economic output. The results showed significant differences in how design factors correlate with benefits, with planting function having the strongest positive correlation with all five benefits.

Moses Wanyakha, Nancy Grudens‐Schuck, Ann M. Oberhauser · Journal of Agriculture Food Systems and Community Development · United States (Iowa)

This study investigated resilience and vulnerabilities in fresh produce donation partnership programs to food pantries in Iowa during the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings revealed a significant decrease in labor hours during the pandemic years of 2020–2021, attributed to government policies and social distancing requirements. Volunteer shortages, donation inconsistency, and exclusionary community practices appeared to be inherent vulnerabilities of volunteer-based food donation programs.

Laurence Bhérer, Pascale Dufour, Françoise Montambeault · Urban Affairs Review · Canada

A two-level analysis tracing the trajectory of urban gardening and dumpster diving/food recuperation practices in Montréal, Canada, from grassroots emergence to inclusion within institutional frameworks. Rather than treating citizen-led initiatives as either co-opted by formal institutions under austerity or as pure "spaces of resistance" to neoliberalism, the study shows that individuals and loosely organized collectives involved in these practices are embedded in complex relationships with local institutions and third-sector organizations, which in turn structure the practices and their consequences. It describes this institutionalization as occurring gradually, through practitioners' interactions with each other and with their social and institutional environment.

Closed Loop Partners, Composting Consortium · Closed Loop Partners / Composting Consortium · United States

Closed Loop Partners' Composting Consortium conducted the largest known North American field test of certified, food-contact compostable packaging, analyzing over 23,000 units across nine commercial composting facilities. While roughly 70% of food waste composters already accept such packaging, the report says public data on actual disintegration performance and optimal composting conditions had been limited. Data will feed a public database and the first ASTM field test standard for compostable packaging.

環境省 · 環境省 (Ministry of the Environment, Japan) · Japan

On 21 June 2024, Japan's Ministry of the Environment published its estimate of national food loss for FY2022 (Reiwa 4), totaling approximately 4.72 million tonnes (2.36 million tonnes from businesses, 2.36 million tonnes from households), down about 510,000 tonnes from FY2021's 5.23 million tonnes (2.79 million business, 2.44 million household). The government's goal is to halve food loss by FY2030 relative to FY2000 levels.

農林水産省 · 農林水産省 (Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Japan) · Japan

On 21 June 2024, Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries announced that business-sector food loss for FY2022 fell to 2.36 million tonnes, meeting the national target of halving business food loss from the FY2000 baseline of 5.47 million tonnes to 2.73 million tonnes by FY2030. This is a decrease of 430,000 tonnes (15.4%) from the prior year's 2.79 million tonnes.

City of Johannesburg, Department of Social Development · City of Johannesburg · South Africa

A 2024 policy document adopted by the City of Johannesburg's Department of Social Development, stating that approximately 9.6% of households in the city are indigent households constantly threatened by food insecurity (StatsSA, 2018), and citing a 2021 estimate that 30.9% of people are threatened by food insecurity (Rudolph et al.). It outlines interventions including regional agricultural resource centres, farming hubs, and food parcel distribution.

Hall S.M., Tikku V., Heiger-Bernays W.J. · Environmental Health Perspectives, 131(11):115001 · Global

Examines equity and safety in urban organic-waste cycling through a case study of waste-to-compost activities and legislation in four US cities. It warns that contaminants such as pesticides, lead, and PFAS and inconsistent regulation can worsen racial inequities in access to urban farmland and safe compost, and recommends justice-oriented policy with multilingual education and proper waste disposal.

· FAO, IFAD, UNICEF, WFP and WHO · Global

The 2023 flagship report jointly produced by FAO, IFAD, UNICEF, WFP and WHO. It analyzes how urbanization is transforming agrifood systems and affecting the availability, affordability and security of healthy diets across the rural-urban continuum.

Kadek Dwi Pradnyani Novianti, Ni Kadek Sukerti · WIDYABHAKTI Jurnal Ilmiah Populer · Indonesia (Denpasar)

This community service activity focused on the Empelan Terbin Farmer Group in Denpasar City, which practices urban agriculture but faces challenges in distributing and selling its produce. The group's agricultural products were often only shared locally or discarded due to excess harvest, indicating a lack of effective sales channels. To address this, the activity provided training and assistance in digital marketing via Facebook to help the group introduce its products to a wider audience and generate profit for sustainable land management.

Elisabet, Prima Wahyu Titisari · Jurnal Agronomi Indonesia (Indonesian Journal of Agronomy) · Indonesia

This study investigated the potential of eco-enzyme and oyster mushroom bag-log waste as growing media for celery microgreens, a model suitable for urban farming. Using a factorial design, researchers tested eco-enzyme dosages (0.5, 15, 25 mL L-1) and bag-log waste dosages (0.50, 100, 150 g/tray). Findings showed a significant interaction between the two factors, with the combination of 25 mL L-1 eco-enzyme and 150 g/tray bag-log waste yielding the best results across all measured parameters, including wet weight and nutrient levels.

Janine Voge, Till Newiger-Dous, Emily Ehrlich, Ulrich Ermann, D. Ernst, Dagmar Haase, Isabel Lindemann, Rebecca Thoma, Emilia Wilhelm, Joerg A. Priess, Lukas Egli · International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability · Germany (Leipzig)

This study assessed food loss and waste (FLW) and yields for one year in four Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) initiatives in the Leipzig area, Germany, comparing them to reference data. Results showed that FLW during production, distribution, and consumption was on average 22–70% lower compared to reference data. Due to lower FLW, CSA initiatives could compensate for yield gaps of 32% on average, reflecting typical yield gaps between organic and conventional agriculture. Co-evaluation with CSA gardeners indicated that FLW could be further reduced at all stages.

MS Alam, Silpa Mullakkalparambil Velayudhan, Debpriyo Kumar Dey, Chiamaka Adilieme, Pradeep Kumar Malik, Raghavendra Bhatta, Sven König, Eva Schlecht · Tropical Animal Health and Production · India (Bengaluru)

A study in Greater Bengaluru, India, interviewed 151 dairy farmers and analyzed 97 forage samples from 10 lakes and vegetable leftovers to assess urbanization's impact on cattle health. While lake fodder was nutritionally high-quality, 43% of samples contained toxic heavy metals above critical levels. Logit models showed that insufficient drinking water and lake fodder negatively impacted cattle health, despite 60% of farmers believing their cows were healthy.

Ministère de la Transition écologique · Ministère de la Transition écologique (France) · France

France's Ministry of Ecological Transition's official page on the mandatory source-sorting of biowaste (food and garden waste). Per EU law and France's 2020 anti-waste law, source-sorting became mandatory nationwide for all professionals and households from January 1, 2024. Biowaste is described as making up one-third of unsorted household waste; the government's 'Fonds vert' has supported local authorities' sorting infrastructure since 2023.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development · United States

An EPA report that for the first time quantifies methane emissions attributable to food waste in U.S. municipal solid waste landfills from 1990 to 2020 (EPA-600-R-23-064). In 2020, food waste was responsible for about 55 million metric tons CO2e of landfill emissions and accounted for 58% of fugitive methane emissions from MSW landfills. Because food waste decays quickly, 50% of its carbon degrades within 3.6 years, often before gas collection systems are installed.