From Offerings to Food: A Qualitative Study of Lungsuran Handling and Nutrition Potential in Urban Bali.

Abstract

BackgroundEdible residues from Hindu offerings (lungsuran) may enter mixed waste streams despite retaining nutritional value. Although food rescue research has focused on household leftovers and supply-chain loss, less is known about how culturally governed norms and changing ritual economies shape post-ritual handling of edible offerings.ObjectiveTo examine how socio-religious norms, authority structures, and changing ritual economies shape lungsuran handling in urban Bali and identify culturally legitimate pathways for nutrition-sensitive recovery.MethodsWe conducted a qualitative study in Denpasar, Indonesia, from September to November 2025 using 20 in-depth interviews with key informants, 4 focus group discussions involving 40 participants, and structured observations across 8 household and temple ritual settings. Data were transcribed, coded, and analyzed thematically.ResultsParticipants described lungsuran as edible and blessed, yet discard occurred in both household and temple settings, especially after large or frequent ceremonies. Post-ritual handling was shaped by four interrelated mechanisms: ritual-temporal suitability, authority and ownership, social permission and hierarchy, and marketization with devotional abundance. Reuse was more likely when decision rights were clear, social permission was explicit, and sorting occurred within an acceptable safety window. In pooled temple settings, ownership ambiguity, reluctance to be seen taking food, and reliance on purchased offerings increased discard. Across settings, time, labor, containers, storage, and transport affected recovery.ConclusionsLungsuran is not ordinary leftover food but a culturally governed edible flow. Nutrition-sensitive recovery is more likely when it aligns with ritual timing, clarifies authority, reduces social hesitation, and integrates food safety into community governance.