Exploring grassroots initiatives in food waste reduction - a case study of two Indonesian food banks

IF 6.2 1区农林科学 Q1 FOOD SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Food Security Pub Date : 2025-08-02 DOI:10.1007/s12571-025-01568-y

Ismarini Pratami Putri, Angga Dwiartama, Mia Rosmiati

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Abstract

Food waste is a complex issue closely linked to sustainability. In Indonesia, with a population of over 200 millions, has more potential for food waste generation, particularly from non-household sectors such as food businesses and hotels. Recently, grassroots initiatives (GI), including food banks, have emerged to address this issue by redistributing surplus food to underprivileged families. However, research on the role of GI in reducing food waste remains limited, especially in Indonesia, where food banks began developing only in 2015. This study aims to explore how GI in Indonesia address the food waste problem, focusing specifically on surplus food redistribution practices by two food banks: Food Bank Bandung (FBB) and Garda Pangan. Using a qualitative approach, data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 17 stakeholders, participant observation, and document analysis. The findings highlight three key insights. First, surplus food redistribution is shaped by each food bank’s organizational orientation, which can evolve between social to environmental missions and from non-profit to social enterprise models. Second, food sources come from both distribution and consumption chains, and operations rely heavily on the type of food received, community support, and financial resources, with volunteers playing a crucial role. Third, food banks serve as key intermediaries that connect diverse stakeholders in reducing food waste while supporting vulnerable communities. This study contributes to the literature by positioning food banks as GI with the potential to influence food waste governance in a developing country context, offering insights for policy and practice in sustainable food systems.

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探索减少食物浪费的基层行动——以两家印尼食物银行为例

食物浪费是一个与可持续性密切相关的复杂问题。在人口超过2亿的印度尼西亚，产生食物浪费的可能性更大，特别是来自食品企业和酒店等非家庭部门。最近，包括食品银行在内的基层倡议（GI）已经出现，通过将多余的食物重新分配给贫困家庭来解决这个问题。然而，关于GI在减少食物浪费方面的作用的研究仍然有限，特别是在印度尼西亚，那里的食物银行直到2015年才开始发展。本研究旨在探讨印度尼西亚的地理标志如何解决食物浪费问题，特别关注万隆食品银行（FBB）和Garda Pangan两家食品银行的剩余食物再分配做法。采用定性方法，通过与17个利益相关者的半结构化访谈、参与者观察和文献分析收集数据。研究结果强调了三个关键的见解。首先，剩余食物的再分配取决于每个食物银行的组织定位，它可以在社会使命到环境使命之间，从非营利模式到社会企业模式之间演变。第二，食物来源来自分销链和消费链，运作很大程度上依赖于收到的食物种类、社区支持和财政资源，志愿者发挥着至关重要的作用。第三，食物银行是连接不同利益相关者的关键中介，在减少食物浪费的同时支持弱势社区。本研究通过将食物银行定位为具有影响发展中国家食物浪费治理潜力的GI，为可持续粮食系统的政策和实践提供见解，从而为文献做出了贡献。

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来源期刊

Food Security FOOD SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY-

CiteScore

14.00

自引率

6.00%

发文量

审稿时长

>12 weeks

期刊介绍： Food Security is a wide audience, interdisciplinary, international journal dedicated to the procurement, access (economic and physical), and quality of food, in all its dimensions. Scales range from the individual to communities, and to the world food system. We strive to publish high-quality scientific articles, where quality includes, but is not limited to, the quality and clarity of text, and the validity of methods and approaches. Food Security is the initiative of a distinguished international group of scientists from different disciplines who hold a deep concern for the challenge of global food security, together with a vision of the power of shared knowledge as a means of meeting that challenge. To address the challenge of global food security, the journal seeks to address the constraints - physical, biological and socio-economic - which not only limit food production but also the ability of people to access a healthy diet. From this perspective, the journal covers the following areas: Global food needs: the mismatch between population and the ability to provide adequate nutrition Global food potential and global food production Natural constraints to satisfying global food needs: § Climate, climate variability, and climate change § Desertification and flooding § Natural disasters § Soils, soil quality and threats to soils, edaphic and other abiotic constraints to production § Biotic constraints to production, pathogens, pests, and weeds in their effects on sustainable production The sociological contexts of food production, access, quality, and consumption. Nutrition, food quality and food safety. Socio-political factors that impinge on the ability to satisfy global food needs: § Land, agricultural and food policy § International relations and trade § Access to food § Financial policy § Wars and ethnic unrest Research policies and priorities to ensure food security in its various dimensions.