Drivers of Food Wastage and their Implications for Sustainable Policy Development

16 There has been growing interest in establishing food waste prevention and recovery 17 programs throughout the world. The drive to target food waste stems from increasing concerns 18 about resource conservation, food security, food waste’s environmental and economic costs, and 19 a general trend in the waste management industry to transition to more sustainable practices. 20 Here the drivers of residential, institutional, and commercial food waste generation in developed 21 countries, particularly in the U.S., are explored. The impacts of food system modernization on 22 food waste generation are examined, particularly impacts related to food system 23 industrialization, urbanization, globalization, and economic growth. Socio-demographic, 24 cultural, political, and economic drivers of food wastage are described with emphasis on how 25 food waste perspectives may vary globally. Specific behaviors and attitudes which result from 26 many of these waste drivers are then discussed. The examination of the range of food wastage 27 drivers are used to provide insight into the best policy approaches to sustainably manage food 28 waste. Food waste prevention policies are placed in context of the waste generating behaviors 29 and attitudes that they address. A review of important background information on food waste is 30 also provided, including definitions of key terms, food waste history, quantities of food waste 31 generated, and the importance of food waste prevention for sustainability, as this information is 32 all critical for effective policy development. 33 34