Hidden flows assessment in the agri-food sector: Evidence from the Italian beef system

Purpose – The study proposes Material Flow Analysis (MFA) methodology as a tool to measure and qualify food waste in the Italian beef supply chain in each stage of the food supply chain, from farm to fork. In particular,theauthorsattemptto:(1)measureresourcesconsumptionandwastegenerationtowardcompanies’ andpolicymakers’sustainableevaluations;(2)enhanceconsumers’ educationinthefieldofagri-foodresilience and sustainability. Design/methodology/approach – MFAisappliedtotheentireItaliansectorofbeefconsumedaspackaged fresh product in 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic. The analysis regards bovine, which represent roughly one-third of the national meat flow. To collect data, bottom-up and top-down mixed approach is applied. Subsequently, MFA results are used to calculate the wastage-related losses in terms of embedded natural resources (e.g. water, energy). Findings–In2020,itresultsthattheItalianmeatindustryslaughteredmorethan1.15Mtofbovinetoproduce approximately 0.29 Mt of fresh meat, 0.69 Mt of by-products and over 0.015 Mt of food waste at households, while 0.15 Mt of beef meat is destined to catering services and food industry (out-of-boundaries). In terms of hiddennaturalresources,itemergedthat,onaverage,morethan94bnm3ofwater,approximately101,000TJof energy and over 11,500 t of PET and PE trays are required to sustain the entire beef system. Originality/value –ThisresearchisoneofthefewstudiesproposingMFAmethodologyasatooltomeasure food waste and hidden associated flows in the agri-food sector. This analysis shows its utility in terms of natural resources (water, energy, materials) and waste quality/quantity evaluation, hidden flows accounting and development of new educational strategies toward food waste minimization and sustainability at household consumption.