Food waste is a subject of interest the world over, especially in recent years, as it deals with a range of challenges including food sources, nutritional insecurity and greenhouse gas emissions. It is estimated that over 30% of food that is grown turns into waste over various stages of the supply chain (UNEP, 2021). "Food loss" occurs in the first stages of the food supply chain, in agricultural production, transportation, handling, packaging and industrial processing, while "food waste" is defined as that which occurs in the consumption stage, including distribution and retailing. According to most estimates, the second largest contributor to food waste after households is the food service organization sector, in which the food served is secondary to the main activity.
According to data published by the food waste organization "Leket Israel" in 2019, it was estimated that about 2 million meals are consumed by service organizations every day. Despite the estimates of extensive financial loss related to food waste in the food service industry in Israel (about $1.1 million) and related environmental damages (about $66 million), a solution for surplus food supplies has not yet been found. It seems that there is a lack of knowledge about how to examine the causes, barriers, opportunities and methods to reduce food loss in service organizations.
One of the leading approaches used in research in recent years to deal with these challenges is "circular economy", which relates to food as a raw material in biological processes to produce different products. The bio-circular economy aims to enable the preservation organic materials and sources for as long as possible and to reduce waste. It is believed that a bio-circular economy can pave the way to a more sustainable future by maintaining and recreating the health of (agro) ecological systems; avoiding non-essential products and waste of essential products; preference for biomass streams for basic human needs; use and recycling of by-products of (agro) ecological systems; and use of renewable energy while minimizing the total energy used. In practical terms, the bio-circular economy is aimed at reducing food waste at source through behavioral changes, preventing loss in the first place by planning consumption and other methods, and diverting surplus food back to the source to create business and environmental value that puts human needs first.
The current study deals with the food economy in hospitals in the UK and in Israel as atypical service organizations. The goals of the research are to map the existing policy environment affecting the reduction of food waste and the promotion of a circular economy for food consumption in hospitals. We will seek to map existing policies at the governmental and organizational levels, describe practices and barriers to achieving circular economy of food in hospitals.
