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Published VersionCC BY V4.0, Open Access
Journal article
Food loss in Pacific Island Countries: a scoping review of the literature
Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, Vol.8, pp.1-15
2024
Abstract
Food loss and waste pose significant challenges to global food security, economic development, and environmental sustainability. Pacific Island Countries (PICs), with limited resources, being geographically isolated, and vulnerable to climate change, face unique challenges when it comes to the issue of food loss. This scoping review aims to systematically map the literature on food loss in PICs, addressing knowledge gaps and understanding specific methodological aspects. The review utilizes the PRISMA-ScR process to identify, categorize, and synthesize relevant literature, offering a comprehensive overview of the existing evidence. Studies focusing on food loss in PICs published in English from 2011 to 2023 were included. Exclusion criteria considered studies conducted outside PICs, those lacking food loss reduction interventions, and non-peer-reviewed sources. A comprehensive literature search was conducted using the databases of JSTOR, Scopus, Science Direct and Web of Science. A total of 5,787 studies for food loss interventions were identified and out of these only 49 met the inclusion criteria. A notable increase in publications from 2011, with a significant surge in 2018 and 2019, indicate a growing interest on the topic. The review reveals a limited focus on this issue across individual PICs and underscores the need for more localized expertise in the region. The review also highlights critical inefficiencies in PIC food supply chains and the need for more studies outside the common root crop agricultural system. The scoping review identified three thematic categories addressing food loss in PICs, namely., the lack of infrastructure and need for innovative technology for post-harvest management; increased vulnerability to climate change and postharvest risks of newer convenient markets. The findings underscore the need for holistic and context-specific approaches to create resilient and sustainable food systems in the Pacific, providing valuable insights for researchers, policymakers, and practitioners involved in addressing these challenges.
Details
- Title
- Food loss in Pacific Island Countries: a scoping review of the literature
- Authors
- Christian-Yves Amato-Ali (Corresponding Author) - University of the South PacificViliamu Iese - School of Agriculture, Food and Ecosystem Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Dookie Campus, VIC, AustraliaGayathri Mekala - The University of MelbourneDaniela Medina - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australian Centre for Pacific Islands ResearchHilda Sakiti-Waqa - University of the South Pacific
- Publication details
- Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, Vol.8, pp.1-15
- Publisher
- Frontiers Research Foundation
- Date published
- 2024
- DOI
- 10.3389/fsufs.2024.1520335
- ISSN
- 2571-581X
- Copyright note
- Amato-Ali, Iese, Mekala, Hidalgo and Sakiti-Waqa. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
- Data Availability
- The original contributions presented in the study are included in the article/supplementary material, further inquiries can be directed to the corresponding author.
- Grant note
- Funding for the publishing of this journal is provided by The Pacific Ocean and Climate Crisis Assessment Project (POCCA) administered by the University of the South Pacific.
- Organisation Unit
- Australian Centre for Pacific Islands Research
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 991097846002621
- Output Type
- Journal article
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