Exploring the 5Rs Holistic Model for Zero Food Waste in Saudi Arabian Food Service Outlets
<i>Background:</i> The proportion of food waste in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, particularly in food service outlets, sends an important and urgent call for a holistic model to either prevent or at least properly manage this high level of food waste. This study draws on the European Unio...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-11-01
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| Series: | Recycling |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2313-4321/8/6/91 |
| _version_ | 1797379472181166080 |
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| author | Abu Elnasr E. Sobaih Ahmed E. Abu Elnasr |
| author_facet | Abu Elnasr E. Sobaih Ahmed E. Abu Elnasr |
| author_sort | Abu Elnasr E. Sobaih |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <i>Background:</i> The proportion of food waste in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, particularly in food service outlets, sends an important and urgent call for a holistic model to either prevent or at least properly manage this high level of food waste. This study draws on the European Union Waste Hierarchy Framework and the United States Environmental Protection Agency Food Recovery Framework to develop a holistic model to manage the high rate of food waste in Saudi food service outlets. <i>Methods</i>: This study adopted the Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research using one-to-one interviews with food service experts to explore the current and appropriate practices for food waste prevention. The in-depth interviews discussed the implementation of the 5Rs hierarchy, which includes reducing food surplus and waste at the source, redistributing food surplus to needy people, reusing food surplus/waste, recycling food waste, and recovering food waste benefits, i.e., bioenergy production. <i>Results:</i> The successful implementation of the 5Rs hierarchy depends on effective collaboration between the key stakeholders, i.e., policy makers, food industry administrators, non-governmental organizations, and customers. The effective management of the food supply chain is also vital to avoid food surplus and prevent waste in food service outlets. Additionally, sustainable production by staff and responsible consumption by consumers contribute effectively to the implementation of the 5Rs model, which contributes to the achievement of zero food waste and, ultimately, to sustainable development. <i>Conclusions:</i> This study provided a novel hierarchy model, which has five tiers, aiming to avoid food waste. The successful implementation of this model will lead to several significant positive impacts on the economy, community, and environment. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T20:24:43Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-124df3daef7b4f06b379e53abbc6ecba |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2313-4321 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T20:24:43Z |
| publishDate | 2023-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Recycling |
| spelling | doaj.art-124df3daef7b4f06b379e53abbc6ecba2023-12-22T14:38:20ZengMDPI AGRecycling2313-43212023-11-01869110.3390/recycling8060091Exploring the 5Rs Holistic Model for Zero Food Waste in Saudi Arabian Food Service OutletsAbu Elnasr E. Sobaih0Ahmed E. Abu Elnasr1Management Department, College of Business Administration, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsaa 31982, Saudi ArabiaHotel Management Department, Higher Institute for Specific Studies, Future Academy, Cairo 11771, Egypt<i>Background:</i> The proportion of food waste in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, particularly in food service outlets, sends an important and urgent call for a holistic model to either prevent or at least properly manage this high level of food waste. This study draws on the European Union Waste Hierarchy Framework and the United States Environmental Protection Agency Food Recovery Framework to develop a holistic model to manage the high rate of food waste in Saudi food service outlets. <i>Methods</i>: This study adopted the Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research using one-to-one interviews with food service experts to explore the current and appropriate practices for food waste prevention. The in-depth interviews discussed the implementation of the 5Rs hierarchy, which includes reducing food surplus and waste at the source, redistributing food surplus to needy people, reusing food surplus/waste, recycling food waste, and recovering food waste benefits, i.e., bioenergy production. <i>Results:</i> The successful implementation of the 5Rs hierarchy depends on effective collaboration between the key stakeholders, i.e., policy makers, food industry administrators, non-governmental organizations, and customers. The effective management of the food supply chain is also vital to avoid food surplus and prevent waste in food service outlets. Additionally, sustainable production by staff and responsible consumption by consumers contribute effectively to the implementation of the 5Rs model, which contributes to the achievement of zero food waste and, ultimately, to sustainable development. <i>Conclusions:</i> This study provided a novel hierarchy model, which has five tiers, aiming to avoid food waste. The successful implementation of this model will lead to several significant positive impacts on the economy, community, and environment.https://www.mdpi.com/2313-4321/8/6/91food waste5Rs modelwaste preventionzero wastewaste hierarchysustainable production |
| spellingShingle | Abu Elnasr E. Sobaih Ahmed E. Abu Elnasr Exploring the 5Rs Holistic Model for Zero Food Waste in Saudi Arabian Food Service Outlets Recycling food waste 5Rs model waste prevention zero waste waste hierarchy sustainable production |
| title | Exploring the 5Rs Holistic Model for Zero Food Waste in Saudi Arabian Food Service Outlets |
| title_full | Exploring the 5Rs Holistic Model for Zero Food Waste in Saudi Arabian Food Service Outlets |
| title_fullStr | Exploring the 5Rs Holistic Model for Zero Food Waste in Saudi Arabian Food Service Outlets |
| title_full_unstemmed | Exploring the 5Rs Holistic Model for Zero Food Waste in Saudi Arabian Food Service Outlets |
| title_short | Exploring the 5Rs Holistic Model for Zero Food Waste in Saudi Arabian Food Service Outlets |
| title_sort | exploring the 5rs holistic model for zero food waste in saudi arabian food service outlets |
| topic | food waste 5Rs model waste prevention zero waste waste hierarchy sustainable production |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2313-4321/8/6/91 |
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