FOOD LOSSES IN THE LIFE CYCLE OF LASAGNE BOLOGNESE: READY-TO-SERVE VS. HOME-MADE

A considerable amount of food waste is caused in households due to bad storage, poor planning and consumer’s preference for fresh food. Food waste due to bad handling in industrial processes on the other hand is minimal. This leads to the question whether overall food losses of a readymade meal are lower than for a meal freshly prepared at home. This question was investigated in an LCA study comparing ready-made and home-made lasagne Bolognese. The aim of the study was to examine what possible differences in the food losses imply for the environmental impacts of equivalent lasagnes. The data needed were derived from literature, own measurements and supplemented by data from the food industry. Contrary to the expectations, the amount of total food waste was estimated to be about the same for both products. The losses occurring in the production chain of the ready-made lasagne are driven by losses in the food industry and returned products reaching the expiry at the point of sale. In case of the home-made lasagne, the major losses are caused at the household. The environmental impacts of the two types of lasagne are comparable. In both cases, the major contribution to the impacts derives from the food ingredients.