at Google ScholarTitle data
Dankwah, Yaw ; Grenzfurtner, Wolfgang:
Food loss and waste prevention in a regional vegetable supply chain in Ghana.
2025
Event: LM25 Conference
, 17.-19.09.2025
, Milano, Italy.
(Conference item: Conference
,
Speech
)
Abstract in another language
Food loss and waste (FLW) reduction has become an important issue to fight against multiple crises such as climate change, the need to feed a growing world population and is consequently of high importance to emerging markets.A reduction of FLW further contributes to decrease in resource consumption, in-cluding water, energy or fertilizer and, consequently, decreases the ecological footprint of food supply chains. Vegetables have to some extent a very limited shelf life, resulting in losses along the vegetable supply chain (VSC), if opera-tions are weakly organized. This case study examines FLW along a regional vegetable supply chain (VSC) in Ghana’s Ashanti Region, from post-harvest to retail distribution, with a focus on tomatoes as a highly perishable product. The study aims to identify the causes and extent of FLW and explore reuse strategies, such as organic fertilizer.
A multiple-case study approach was applied, involving 7 farms and 4 retail-ers. Data was collected through interviews, document analysis, and direct obser-vations, and analyzed using thematic coding and content analysis and Sankey diagrams.
Post-harvest losses at the farm level ranged from 12.5 to 50%, while retail-level losses varied between 16 and 80%. Causes included inadequate storage, poor transport infrastructure, lack of cooling, environmental conditions, and low mar-ket prices. Retailers also reported poor incoming goods inspection and mixing of damaged produce.
Best practices included multi-channel sales, improved communication, modern technologies, and staff training. Retailers emphasized the importance of quality awareness and coordination across the VSC. Although infrastructure for recy-cling inedible food into fertilizer or animal feed is lacking, the study highlights its potential within a circular economy framework. This study underscores the need for awareness and targeted measures to reduce FLW and offers practical approaches to enhance sustainability and resource efficiency in VSCs.
Further data
| Item Type: | Conference item (Speech) |
|---|---|
| Refereed: | Yes |
| Institutions of the University: | Faculties Faculties > Faculty of Life Sciences: Food, Nutrition and Health Faculties > Faculty of Life Sciences: Food, Nutrition and Health > Chair Food Supply Chain Management Faculties > Faculty of Life Sciences: Food, Nutrition and Health > Chair Food Supply Chain Management > Chair Food Supply Chain Management - Univ.-Prof. Dr. Christian Fikar |
| Result of work at the UBT: | Yes |
| DDC Subjects: | 300 Social sciences > 330 Economics 600 Technology, medicine, applied sciences > 630 Agriculture |
| Date Deposited: | 02 Oct 2025 07:04 |
| Last Modified: | 02 Oct 2025 07:04 |
| URI: | https://eref.uni-bayreuth.de/id/eprint/94824 |