Research on assortment and supply-demand adjustment in the reduction of FLW and its recycling.

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 18K05849
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 41010:Agricultural and food economics-related
• Research Institution: University of the Ryukyus
• Principal Investigator: Sugimura Yasuhiko 琉球大学, 農学部, 教授 (80405662)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 森 久綱 三重大学, 人文学部, 教授 (80362333)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 食品ロス / 食品廃棄物 / エコフィード / フードバンク

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In order to reduce food loss, it is important to find ways to use unused food products. Typically, when foods are utilized, they are in meaningful assortments. On the other hand, unutilized foods often consist of unsold or surplus food products from retail stores. Collecting them in large quantities doesn’t make them a food assortment. Most previous studies on the use of underutilized food products have analyzed cases where supply and demand were matched. There was no perspective of assortment formation in the use of food products. This research analyzed how the entities that use underutilized food products shape the assortment of it when they use it. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, its research plan was substantially modified. However, there were some new discoveries about the effective use of underutilized food products and the formation of assortments.

Free Research Field

農業市場学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

当初の課題であった先進的フードバンクにおける品揃え形成プロセスの分析、および飼料原料における品揃え形成については、コロナ禍の影響により調査が不十分なままで終了せざるを得なかったが、食品ロス削減を困窮者支援に結びつけようとするとき、食品としての品揃えをどのように確保するかについて検討する必要があることは示すことができた。ただし、利用主体の役割については、事例調査の積み上げと分析が必要であり、今後の課題である。