Oregon Wasted Food Study

Oregon Wasted Food Study

Summary of Findings

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This report was prepared for

Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, Project Lead: Ashley Zanolli

Submitted

January 15, 2019

Revised

April 22, 2019

By

Christa McDermott, PhD

Debi Elliott, PhD

Director

Community Environmental Services

Portland State University

christa@pdx.edu

Senior Research Associate

Regional Research Institute for Human Services

Portland State University

elliottd@pdx.edu

Laura Moreno

Reed Broderson, MURP

University of California, Berkeley

Research Assistant

Community Environmental Services

Portland State University

Cameron Mulder, MS

Research Assistant

Regional Research Institute for Human Services

Portland State University

Community Environmental Services

Portland State University

P.O. Box 751

Portland, OR 97207-0751

1600 SW 4th Avenue, Suite 128

Portland, OR 97201

503-725-5949 (voice)

pdx.edu/ces

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Table of Contents

Index of Tables and Figures ............................................... 5

Executive Summary ........................................................... 8

Terminology ..................................................................... 13

Purpose & Structure of Report ......................................... 15

Background ...................................................................... 18

Global Focus on Wasted Food ................................................... 18

Prioritizing Prevention .............................................................. 18

Understanding What, How Much, and Where: Research Gaps &

Methods ................................................................................. 19

Understanding Why: Research Gaps & Methods .......................... 20

Findings ........................................................................... 22

Oregon¡¯s Estimates of Wasted Food ........................................... 23

Types and Levels of Wasted Food: Comparison to Other Studies ... 25

Synthesizing Qualitative and Quantitative Results in the Oregon

Wasted Food Study ................................................................. 32

Planning ................................................................................. 33

Shopping for food .................................................................... 34

Food management and storage ................................................. 36

Food preparation and use ......................................................... 36

Leftovers ................................................................................ 37

Beliefs and attitudes ................................................................ 38

Demographic factors................................................................ 40

Areas for Future Research ........................................................ 40

Measuring & Evaluating Food Waste and Wasted Food:

Insights and Protocols ..................................................... 42

Importance of Measurement & Assessment ................................ 42

Deciding What Type of Measurement to Undertake ...................... 43

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Large, state-based waste composition or smaller, household-level study?........................................................ 44

Residential Measurement & Research ......................................... 51

Recruiting & Engaging with Residential Participants ....................................................................................... 51

Tips for effective and organized recruiting ........................................................................................................ 52

Communicating with participants ...................................................................................................................... 53

Detailed Method Information: Waste Sorts and Diary Tracking ...... 54

Waste Sorts......................................................................................................................................................... 55

Diaries................................................................................................................................................................ 59

Determining Edibility ......................................................................................................................................... 61

Characterizing Food Materials.......................................................................................................................... 61

Appendix.......................................................................... 66

Technical Tables ...................................................................... 66

Additional Results .................................................................... 66

Procurement ....................................................................................................................................................... 67

Planning ............................................................................................................................................................. 69

Leftovers ............................................................................................................................................................. 71

Disposal ............................................................................................................................................................. 79

Food Use, Preparation, and Management ......................................................................................................... 80

Sample materials .................................................................... 83

Recruiting Guide ................................................................................................................................................ 83

Diary Script ........................................................................................................................................................ 88

Pre-Diary Survey ............................................................................................................................................... 92

Post-Diary Survey ............................................................................................................................................ 101

Participant Support Materials ...................................................105

User guide ........................................................................................................................................................ 105

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Index of Tables and Figures

Figure 1:

Food waste includes wasted food (food that could have been

eaten at some point) and is often the majority of the food

thrown away ........................................................................... 14

Phases of Household Level Research for the Oregon Wasted

Food Study .............................................................................. 15

Figure 2:

Wasted Food Hierarchy, from waste prevention to landfill

disposal, with elements higher in the pyramid being

economically and environmentally preferable to the lower

elements. ............................................................................... 19

Weight of Wasted Food (in pounds) in Waste Sorts and Diaries

for One Week, Oregon Wasted Food Study ............................. 23

Household Food Waste in Oregon by Food Category, 2017 Diary

and Waste Sort Data ............................................................... 24

Top Wasted Edible Foods in Oregon Wasted Food Study, from

Diary Tracking for 182 households for One Week ................... 25

Comparison of Methods for Oregon Wasted Food Study, NRDC,

and UK WRAP.......................................................................... 26

Comparison of Per Capita Proportions of Total Household Food

Waste by Food Category for Three Datasets ........................... 27

Comparison of Top Edible Wasted Foods for the Three

Household Studies .................................................................. 28

Comparison of Breakdown by Loss Reasons for Two Datasets 29

Figure 3:

Loss Reasons in 2012 WRAP Study ......................................... 30

Comparison of Oregon Wasted Food Study to DEQ Waste

Composition Study Results ..................................................... 46

Costs, Benefits, and Trade-Offs of Methods of Quantifying

Wasted Food ........................................................................... 47

Extrapolating quantities to food waste estimates for larger

populations ............................................................................. 49

Figure 4:

Example of steps to develop a food waste measurement

study....................................................................................... 51

Summary of Diary Data Participation ...................................... 54

Categories Used For Household Waste Sorts........................... 57

Comparison of Oregon Wasted Food Study to DEQ Waste

Composition Study Results, Unweighted Results .................... 66

Grocery Shopping Is a Hassle across Age Groups ................... 67

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