Review article
https://doi.org/10.21860/j.17.1.7
Food waste in time of ecological, economic and ethical crisis: Challenges and opportunities for sustainable tourism
Vedran Poljak
; Agromediteranski fakultet, Sveučilište u Splitu, 21000 Split, Hrvatska.
Marijana Jurišić Mustapić
orcid.org/0000-0001-9436-5788
; Hotelijerstvo i gastronomija, Sveučilište u Splitu, Hrvatska.
*
* Corresponding author.
Abstract
The growth of the world population requires a 60% increase in food production by 2050 at the global level. According to the FAO, about 33% of food produced is lost at various stages of production, mainly in developing countries, while food waste in developed countries primarily occurs through disposal at the retail and consumption stages. Food waste carries significant environmental and economic costs, representing a waste of resources used in production, such as land, water, energy, and human labour, and leads to unnecessary CO2 emissions into the atmosphere. The transformation of food into waste is a process that occurs daily at the local level throughout the food chain and increases significantly during the tourist season. Most factors influencing this process are not objective, but stem from a mismatch between supply and demand and incorrect perceptions of the appearance and taste of food, as well as energy inefficiency, meaning that food waste has a significant negative impact on the environment. The problem of food waste generation is one of the key challenges for sustainable development and environmental protection in tourist destinations. Effective management of food waste reduction processes in this sector contributes not only to cost reduction and mitigation of environmental burdens, but also to the strengthening of sustainable development and enhancing the tourist experience of the destination. The loss of respect for food is fundamentally a moral crisis and reflects genuine contempt for the home and the people.
Keywords
environmental protection; food waste; sustainable development; tourism; hotels
Hrčak ID:
348919
URI
Publication date:
26.6.2026.
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