scholarly journals Technical emptiability of dairy product packaging and its environmental implications in Austria

PeerJ ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. e7578 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernhard Wohner ◽  
Nicole Schwarzinger ◽  
Ulla Gürlich ◽  
Victoria Heinrich ◽  
Manfred Tacker
Keyword(s):  
Surface Tension ◽  
Waste Management ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Food Waste ◽  
Dairy Products ◽  
Dairy Product ◽  
Main Function ◽  
Streamlined Lca ◽  
Refrigerator Temperature ◽  
Food Residues

Background Food waste is a major ecological concern around the globe. While the main function of packaging is to contain and protect food, it may also lead to food waste if residues remain in a package after emptying. Such residues could be attributed to wasteful behavior of consumers, but also to properties of packaging (e.g., geometry, surface tension) and food (e.g., surface tension, viscosity). Methods In this study, the technical emptiability (ability of packaging to be emptied entirely) of 36 dairy products is analyzed. Firstly, the amount of food residues in packaging after emptying at room and refrigerator temperature was weighed and set in relation to the original filling quantity. Secondly, streamlined life cycle assessments (LCAs) based on the Product Environmental Footprint guidance with a functional unit of “one kg of consumed dairy product at room or refrigerator temperature in the home of the consumer” are conducted. Finally, technical emptiability was included in the streamlined LCA and attributed to the primary packaging in order to evaluate its environmental impact. Results Technical emptiability for both temperatures combined was found to be between 0.25% (±0.11) and 5.79% (±0.43) for the analyzed dairy products. While there were differences in emptiability results of the same product and different temperatures, no significant trend (p = 0.94) between emptiability and temperature could be observed. Liquid yogurt, cream, and buttermilk in beverage cartons and plastic bottles yielded the highest amounts, while milk in beverage cartons and glass bottles yielded the lowest amounts regarding food residues. Looking at global warming potential, poor technical emptiability of cream in a beverage carton leads to even higher environmental impacts than the production and waste management of its packaging. Discussion The streamlined LCA results show that food residues can contribute substantially to the footprint of packaging and can have similar or even higher environmental impacts than packaging production and waste management. Yet, emptiability is remarkably under-researched to this day. Future studies should further develop the methods presented in this paper, while LCA analysts should include technical emptiability when assessing the sustainability of packaging, particularly for those containing resource-intensive goods.

scholarly journals Evidence for Designing Public Policies Aimed at Reducing Food Waste and Food Insecurity in Mexico

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. 1727-1727
Author(s):  
Verónica Mundo-Rosas
Keyword(s):  
Public Policy ◽  
Food Insecurity ◽  
Food Waste ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Public Policies ◽  
Southern Mexico ◽  
Funding Sources ◽  
National Production ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Food Residues

Abstract Objectives To analyze the magnitude and distribution of food waste and insecurity in Mexico as a first step in designing public policies to counteract these problems. Methods Based on methodology proposed by Subirats et al. (2008), we analyzed the magnitude and distribution of food waste and insecurity in Mexico. Using scientific evidence and official data, we responded to the following guiding questions: What is the problem? What is the magnitude of the problem? Who are the population groups most affected by the problem and where do they reside? To what extent does coverage under current public policies address these problems? Results Problem: By 2050, the Mexican population will have grown by 22.9 million with respect to 2015. The country's capacity to produce the amount of food required in the future will depend largely on what proportion of the population has the necessary financial resources to acquire the food it needs, and whether food is equitably distributed. Magnitude of the problem: Mexico loses and wastes approximately 34% of the national production of items in the basic food basket while 26.4 million Mexicans lack sufficient income to acquire the quantity and quality of food they need. Those affected the most: From an environmental viewpoint, the larger cities in Mexico constitute the principal production centers of food waste, among other residues. This causes air, land and water pollution at the regional level, as well as serious health problems in the population. From an ethical and nutritional perspective, food waste indirectly affects those experiencing food insecurity. Location of the affected population: In 2012, central Mexico was the largest generator of urban solid waste including organic and, specifically, food residues. Conversely, southern Mexico was the region most affected by food insecurity. Public policy coverage: Despite the magnitude of the problem, several Mexican states have no public policy in place to combat food waste or insecurity. Conclusions The evidence provided by our study contributes to decision making in the formulation of public policies aimed at reducing food loss and waste as well as food insecurity. It also serves to monitor progress towards the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. Funding Sources None.

scholarly journals Introducing a Degrowth Approach to the Circular Economy Policies of Food Production, and Food Loss and Waste Management: Towards a Circular Bioeconomy

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 3379 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Hoehn ◽  
Jara Laso ◽  
María Margallo ◽  
Israel Ruiz-Salmón ◽  
Francisco José Amo-Setién ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Waste Management ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Food Production ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Food Loss ◽  
Use Of Resources ◽  
Assessment Approach ◽  
New Policies

There is a growing debate surrounding the contradiction between an unremitting increase in the use of resources and the search for environmental sustainability. Therefore, the concept of sustainable degrowth is emerging aiming to introduce in our societies new social values and new policies, capable of satisfying human requirements whilst reducing environmental impacts and consumption of resources. In this framework, circular economy strategies for food production and food loss and waste management systems, following the Sustainable Development Goals agenda, are being developed based on a search for circularity, but without setting limits to the continual increase in environmental impacts and resource use. This work presents a methodology for determining the percentage of degrowth needed in any food supply chain, by analyzing four scenarios in a life cycle assessment approach over time between 2020 and 2040. Results for the Spanish case study suggested a degrowth need of 26.8% in 2015 and 58.9% in 2040 in order to achieve compliance with the Paris Agreement targets, highlighting the reduction of meat and fish and seafood consumption as the most useful path.

scholarly journals Dairy Consumption and Incidence of Breast Cancer in the ‘Seguimiento Universidad de Navarra’ (SUN) Project

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 687
Author(s):  
Inmaculada Aguilera-Buenosvinos ◽  
Cesar Ignacio Fernandez-Lazaro ◽  
Andrea Romanos-Nanclares ◽  
Alfredo Gea ◽  
Rodrigo Sánchez-Bayona ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Dairy Products ◽  
Dairy Product ◽  
Inverse Association ◽  
Low Fat ◽  
Significant Inverse Association ◽  
Product Consumption ◽  
Dairy Consumption ◽  
Dairy Product Consumption

Dairy products might influence breast cancer (BC) risk. However, evidence is inconsistent. We sought to examine the association between dairy product consumption—and their subtypes—and incident BC in a Mediterranean cohort. The SUN (“Seguimiento Universidad de Navarra”) Project is a Spanish dynamic ongoing cohort of university graduates. Dairy product consumption was estimated through a previously validated 136-item food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Incident BC was reported in biennial follow-up questionnaires and confirmed with revision of medical records and consultation of the National Death Index. Hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated with Cox regression models. Among 123,297 women-years of follow-up (10,930 women, median follow-up 12.1 years), we confirmed 119 incident BC cases. We found a nonlinear association between total dairy product consumption and BC incidence (pnonlinear = 0.048) and a significant inverse association for women with moderate total dairy product consumption (HRQ2vs.Q1 = 0.49 (95% CI 0.28–0.84); HRQ3vs.Q1 = 0.49 (95% CI 0.29–0.84) ptrend = 0.623) and with moderate low-fat dairy product consumption (HRQ2vs.Q1 = 0.58 (95% CI 0.35–0.97); HRQ3vs.Q1 = 0.55 (95% CI 0.32–0.92), ptrend = 0.136). In stratified analyses, we found a significant inverse association between intermediate low-fat dairy product consumption and premenopausal BC and between medium total dairy product consumption and postmenopausal BC. Thus, dairy products, especially low-fat dairy products, may be considered within overall prudent dietary patterns.

scholarly journals The Sum of Plasma Fatty Acids iso16:0, iso17:0, trans11-18:1, cis9, trans11-CLA, and cis6-18:1 as Biomarker of Dairy Intake Established in an Intervention Study and Validated in the EPIC Cohort of Gipuzkoa

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 702
Author(s):  
Alaitz Berriozabalgoitia ◽  
Juan Carlos Ruiz de Gordoa ◽  
Mertxe de Renobales ◽  
Gustavo Amores ◽  
Luis Javier R. Barron ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fatty Acids ◽  
Dairy Products ◽  
Intervention Study ◽  
Dairy Product ◽  
Plasma Concentrations ◽  
Correlation Coefficients ◽  
Dairy Intake ◽  
Dairy Fat ◽  
Product Consumption ◽  
Dairy Product Consumption

The questioned reliability of 15:0, 17:0, and trans9-16:1 acids as biomarkers of dairy fat intake also questions the relationship between the intake of these products and their health effects. Two studies were conducted in the same geographical region. In an intervention study, volunteers followed a diet rich in dairy products followed by a diet without dairy products. Plasma and erythrocyte fatty acids (FA) were analyzed, and their correlations with dairy product intakes were tested. The FA biomarkers selected were validated in the Gipuzkoa cohort of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) observational study. The correlation coefficients between plasma concentrations of iso16:0, iso17:0, trans11-18:1, cis9, trans11-18:2, and cis6-18:1 and the dairy fat ingested are similar in both studies, indicating that their concentration increases by 0.8 µmol/L per gram of dairy fat ingested. The biomarkers are positively related to plasma triglycerides (r = 0.324 and 0.204 in the intervention and observational studies, respectively) and total cholesterol (r = 0.459 and 0.382), but no correlation was found between the biomarkers and atherogenicity indexes. In conclusion, the sum of the plasma concentration of the selected FAs can be used as biomarkers of dairy product consumption. A linear relationship exists between their plasma concentrations and ruminant product intake. These biomarkers allow for obtaining consistent relationships between dairy intake and plasma biochemical parameters.

scholarly journals Life Cycle Assessment of Bioplastics and Food Waste Disposal Methods

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 6894
Author(s):  
Shakira R. Hobbs ◽  
Tyler M. Harris ◽  
William J. Barr ◽  
Amy E. Landis
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Assessment ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Anaerobic Digestion ◽  
Waste Management ◽  
Food Waste ◽  
Energy Demand ◽  
Anaerobic Digester ◽  
Management Scenarios ◽  
Cumulative Energy ◽  
Cumulative Energy Demand

The environmental impacts of five waste management scenarios for polylactic acid (PLA)-based bioplastics and food waste were quantified using life cycle assessment. Laboratory experiments have demonstrated the potential for a pretreatment process to accelerate the degradation of bioplastics and were modeled in two of the five scenarios assessed. The five scenarios analyzed in this study were: (1a) Anaerobic digestion (1b) Anaerobic digestion with pretreatment; (2a) Compost; (2a) Compost with pretreatment; (3) Landfill. Results suggested that food waste and pretreated bioplastics disposed of with an anaerobic digester offers life cycle and environmental net total benefits (environmental advantages/offsets) in several areas: ecotoxicity (−81.38 CTUe), eutrophication (0 kg N eq), cumulative energy demand (−1.79 MJ), global warming potential (0.19 kg CO2), and human health non-carcinogenic (−2.52 CTuh). Normalized results across all impact categories show that anaerobically digesting food waste and bioplastics offer the most offsets for ecotoxicity, eutrophication, cumulative energy demand and non-carcinogenic. Implications from this study can lead to nutrient and energy recovery from an anaerobic digester that can diversify the types of fertilizers and decrease landfill waste while decreasing dependency on non-renewable technologies. Thus, using anaerobic digestion to manage bioplastics and food waste should be further explored as a viable and sustainable solution for waste management.

scholarly journals Detection of Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus in Dairy Products and Anterior Nares of Dairy Workers

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 59-62
Author(s):  
Ranjana K.C. ◽  
Ganga Timilsina ◽  
Anjana Singh ◽  
Supriya Sharma
Keyword(s):  
Staphylococcus Aureus ◽  
Antibiotic Susceptibility ◽  
Dairy Products ◽  
Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus ◽  
Dairy Product ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Diffusion Method ◽  
Mannitol Salt Agar ◽  
Methicillin Resistant ◽  
Dairy Workers

Objectives: To isolate methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) from anterior nares of dairy workers and dairy products and assess the antibiotic susceptibility pattern of the isolates. Methods: Swab samples collected from anterior nares of dairy workers and dairy product (butter) were inoculated into mannitol salt agar and incubated at 37ºC for 24 hours. Identification was done based on colony characteristics, Gram's staining, catalase, oxidase and coagulase test. Antibiotic susceptibility testing was done by modified Kirby Bauer disc diffusion method. MRSA was confirmed by using cefoxitin disc. Results: A total of 109 S. aureus (98 from dairy workers and 11 from butter samples) were isolated. Out of them 32 MRSA were isolated from dairy workers and 4 from butter samples. The association between age group and MRSA was found insignificant (p = 0.115). The association of MRSA between male and female workers was found significant (>0.05). About 86% of the MRSA isolates were susceptible to Gentamicin (86.11%) followed by Ciprofloxacin (77.78%). Conclusion: Detection of MRSA among dairy workers and dairy products warrants proper handling and adequate control measures to prevent transmission of MRSA from dairy industry.

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