Food waste interventions in low-and-middle-income countries: A systematic literature review

Summary

This systematic review of 8318 studies evaluates food waste reduction interventions in low-and-middle-income countries, identifying critical evidence gaps and implementation patterns. The authors found a fundamental disconnection between preventive interventions (only applied at production, storage and transportation stages) and mitigative interventions (only at wholesale and consumption stages), with no studies combining both approaches. The review also highlights a significant bias towards material-based solutions over knowledge-based interventions or local capacity-building strategies.

UK applicability

While this review focuses on LMICs, the findings regarding the disconnect between preventive and mitigative approaches and the underexploration of knowledge-based alternatives may inform UK food waste policy, which could benefit from more integrated value-chain strategies. However, the UK's more formalised supply chains and higher capital availability differ substantially from LMIC contexts.

Key measures

Classification of interventions by value chain stage (production, storage, transportation, wholesale, consumption); classification by mechanism of action (prevention versus mitigation: recycle, reuse, remanufacture, repurpose, recover); evidence base characteristics across intervention types

Outcomes reported

The systematic review identified and classified food waste reduction interventions across value chain stages in LMICs, examining their mechanisms of action (preventive versus mitigative) and measuring the strength of evidence for their efficacy. The study documented the distribution and gaps in intervention types, particularly the disconnect between prevention and mitigation strategies across different supply chain stages.

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