Food
Food systems are fundamental to human health, economic development, and environmental sustainability. The way food is produced, distributed, and consumed shapes land use, water resources, biodiversity, and greenhouse gas emissions, while also influencing livelihoods, nutrition, and food security across communities and regions.
Sustainability and Health
Facilitating food choice and consumption towards a more sustainable and healthy direction requires increased knowledge and an understanding of the factors that influence consumers’ choices. Sus-Health is a research project that facilitates easier sustainability and health-based decision-making. For this, we explore the food system through a new single “lens” that combines the nutritive and environmental value of food into one single metric and assesses its impact on consumers, industry, and policy.
Current research has examined consumer preferences through living lab experiments, which have fed back down the entire food chain, influencing the processes and raw materials used towards more sustainable and health-inducing foods and diets. Key outputs focus on the co-creation of a systemic strategy and innovative solutions for influencing food choices and consumption so that they better align with both sustainability targets and nutritional guidelines.
Dr Orla Collins and Professor Lynn Frewer
Orla.Collins@newcastle.ac.uk | Lynn.Frewer@newcastle.ac.uk
Keywords: Sustainable consumption, Health, Food choice, Consumers
Reducing Food Waste in Restaurants
A third of all food in the UK is wasted, marking a major lapse in the sustainability of our food supply chain. It is also estimated that the food service sector accounts for 12% of this total waste. This research therefore explored food waste in English restaurants as one of the key segments of this sector.
Findings revealed that restaurants are currently experiencing competing pressures, including the rising costs of energy, materials, and labour; strict food safety regulation; and decreasing customer footfall and spending, all of which act as barriers to engaging with food waste reduction measures and initiatives. This was especially pertinent with regards to food waste created on consumers’ plates. Restaurant managers did not wish to adopt waste-reducing service improvements out of fear of upsetting the customer. Simultaneously, behavioural experiments with English consumers revealed a broad willingness to engage with food waste and plate waste reduction in restaurants. This collective research highlights a notable policy opportunity to complementarily build food waste reduction into pre-existing policies and infrastructure.
Dr Alex Neill
Alex.Neill@newcastle.ac.uk
Keywords: Food waste, Food service, Restaurants, Consumers
Resident Participation in Food Waste Bin Collection
Working alongside Newcastle City Council, our research monitored a pilot household food waste collection scheme. We tracked weekly household participation in food waste recycling at the postcode level and identified patterns according to socio-demographic and housing conditions. Through a series of focus groups with community groups, we identified barriers and drivers to household participation and co-designed interventions to increase resident engagement.
Findings showed that households balance the private costs of waste separation against perceived public benefits. Community engagement and tailored communication emerged as strategies with the highest potential effectiveness. The challenge is how to encourage participation in food waste collection whilst reducing food waste production and maintaining private and community initiatives such as composting.
Dr Diogo Souza Monteiro, Dr Emily Rainsford, Dr Patricia Prado, Dr Stephanie Wilkie, Mr Paul Rant, and Ms Rebecca Wilson
Diogo.Souza-Monteiro@newcastle.ac.uk | Emily.Rainsford@newcastle.ac.uk | Patricia.Prado@newcastle.ac.uk
Keywords: Food waste collection, Local authority, Communication strategy
Marketing and Consumer Understanding of UK Regional Foods
As part of the European Union-funded GI SMART project, we are undertaking research and innovation activities to improve consumer understanding and the marketing of regional foods in the UK. We focus on foods with Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) and Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status, such as Scotch whisky and Melton Mowbray Pork Pie.
Research includes World Cafés, which bring together producers and consumers to improve mutual understanding and develop strategies that allow producers to discuss their offerings in ways that are meaningful for consumers. Eye-tracking and other online experiments help understand consumers’ processing of product packaging labels and identify how best to promote regional foods and drink. We also established a multi-actor platform for UK stakeholders to share experiences and implement findings.
Dr Barbara Tocco and Professor Matthew Gorton
Barbara.Tocco@newcastle.ac.uk | Matthew.Gorton@newcastle.ac.uk
Keywords: Regional foods, Geographical indications, Consumer behaviour
Projects
Developing SUstainable PERmanent Grassland systems and policies (SUPER-G) - Funding from EU Horizon 2020 (2019-2024) - CRE input: Prof Lynn Frewer (Work Package leader), Prof Mark Reed (Co-Investigator)
Resilient dairy: socio-technical innovation for dairy resilience and sustainability - Funding from BBSRC (2017-2021) - CRE input: Prof Mark Reed (Principal Investigator), Prof Lynn Frewer (Co-Investigator and Work Package co-leader)
Brexit: how might UK agriculture survive or thrive? - Funders: ESRC (April 2017-September 2018) - CRE input: Dr Carmen Hubbard PI, Prof David Harvey, Anne Liddon, Charles Scott, Dr Michael Wallace
Evaluation of ‘Going for Growth’, Friends of the Earth (January 2016 – March 2017) - Funding from Friends of the Earth - CRE input: Dr Ruth MacAreavey
Understanding ecosystem stocks and tipping points in UK blanket peatlands - Funding from NERC Valuing Nature Programme (2016-2018) - CRE input: Prof Mark Reed (Principal Investigator)
Soil Care for profitable and sustainable crop production in Europe - Funding from EU Horizon 2020 (2015-2020) - CRE input: Prof Mark Reed (Work Package leader)
STFC Food Security Network+ - Funding from STFC (2017-2019) - CRE input: Prof Mark Reed (Co-Investigator)
Yorkshire Integrated Catchment Solutions Programme - Funding from NERC (2017-2022) - CRE input: Prof Mark Reed (Co-Investigator and Impact Evaluation Group Chair)
Feed-a-gene - Adapting animal and the feeding techniques to improve efficiency and sustainability of livestock production systems - Funding from EU (2015-2020) CRE input: Guy Garrod, Dr Carmen Hubbard, Marion Raley
SusPigSys - Sustainability in pig production systems - Funding from ERA-NET (2017-2020) CRE input: Project Leader: Carmen Hubbard
The energy climate food security NEXUS: Developing a multi stakeholder deliberative governance model in Northern Ireland - Funding from ESRC (Sept 2016-Sept 2017) CRE input: Professor Sally Shortall (PI)
PROHEALTH – Sustainable pig and poultry production: WP7: Socioeconomic evaluation of controls of production diseases - Funding from European Union Seventh Framework (2013-2018) CRE input: Prof Lynn Frewer (PI)
Assessing Rural Landscapes in Chile - Funding from British Council – Institutional Links. (2015-2016) CRE input: Dr Menelaos Gkartzios (Principal Investigator), Guy Garrod (Co-Investigator), Dr Liz Oughton (Co-Investigator), Marian Raley (RA)