Towards circular economy in the agrifood sector: Water footprint assessment of food loss in the Italian fruit and vegetable supply chains. (April 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Agnusdei, Giulio Paolo; Coluccia, Benedetta; Pacifico, Andrea Mattia; Miglietta, Pier Paolo
• Is Part Of: Ecological indicators. Volume 137(2022)
• Publication Date: 2022-04
• Subjects: Virtual water -- Food loss -- Water loss -- Life cycle -- Supply chain -- Trade; Environmental monitoring -- Periodicals; Environmental management -- Periodicals; Environmental impact analysis -- Periodicals; Environmental risk assessment -- Periodicals; Sustainable development -- Periodicals; 333.71405
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolind.2022.108781
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1470-160X

Abstract

Highlights: The agrifood chain is affected by resource scarcity, food loss and waste production. Water loss assessment is useful for managing the supply chain of perishable foods. Grapes lost along the supply chain cause the highest percentage of water loss. Water loss from the fruit and vegetable trade is mainly due to imports from France. The Italian fruit and vegetable supply chain is weak mostly in the transport phase. Abstract: In recent years, the agrifood sector has been relevantly impacted by resource shortage, food loss and waste across the whole supply chain. This study assesses, from a life cycle perspective, the water footprint of the fruit and vegetable losses occurring within the Italian agrifood supply chain, analyzing the potential linkages between circular economy policies and water management. The study methodology consists of three consequential steps: the definition of system boundaries, the data collection from databases and reports, and the processing of said data. Based on data availability of food losses, the following food items were chosen for the analysis, representing about 60% of the Italian fruits and vegetables domestic supply: tomatoes and onions for the macro-group of vegetables; orange, lemons, apples and grapes for the macro-group of fruits. Assessing the water footprint for the six categories of products, this study found out that, although less than other products, the amount of grapes lost along the supply chain determines a very high percentage of water loss. The tomato supply chain has proved to be the most sustainable in terms of water loss, due to the low amount of water needed to cultivate tomatoes. The analysis of the Italian trade market of fruits and vegetables has shown that water losses are mainly due to imports from France and Spain, in line with the high trade volumes. Finally, a weakness of the Italian fruit and vegetable supply chain was observed in the transport phase, because in this phase large quantities of food loss are associated with large volumes of water loss. Far from being the only tool to be used in the decision-making processes, the assessment of water loss embodied in the food loss, can be useful for managing the supply chain processes of perishable foods, ensuring process yield improvements, food quality traceability and environmental impact mitigation.