Foodsaving for Sustainable Development

Local Implications of Global Problems

Abstract

Abstract Purpose and Originality: Food security is becoming an increasingly important issue to governments, world organizations, as well as businesses, non-profit organizations and ordinary citizens. Until recently, it was thought that highly developed countries had not been affected by this problem. However, in the light of the recent economic and financial crisis, this perception has started to change. Food deficiency concerns virtually the whole world. What makes matters worse is the intriguing dichotomy between the fact that millions of people suffer from insufficient access to good quality food and that, on the other hand, every day tons of food is thrown away. Can this problem be solved? How can a local initiative help to solve it? In this article I am going to present some examples of best European practices in the recovery of surplus food, which could bring more sustainable development in the world.

Method: The author of the article has been a member of The Foodsaving Project, which researched the best practices concerning salvaging of food surpluses in four different European countries. The project involved both some theoretical assumptions, as well as research results developed in the course of running the project, such as the analysis of various documents, texts, interviews and observations.

Results: The result of the research is the presentation of the best European practices concerning salvaging food surpluses, especially in Poland.

Society: The presentation of the best practices directly influence the social responsibility, the perception of the problem as well as the domestic and international legal regulations connected to it. It also shows that social responsibility can affect everyday life.

Limitations/further research: The research had a local scope, and the range of the best practices presented is, therefore, limited. There remains a number of unexplored solutions, which can possible further influence the social responsibility and the environment in this respect.