Effective Management Tools for Solving the Problem of Poverty in Relation to Food Waste in Context of Integrated Management of Energy

Bohuslava Mihalčová, Antonín Korauš, Olha Prokopenko, Jozefína Hvastová, Magdaléna Freňáková, Peter Gallo and Beáta Balogová
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Bohuslava Mihalčová: Department of Management, Faculty of Business Economy, University of Economics in Bratislava, 852 35 Košice, Slovakia
Antonín Korauš: Academy of the Police Force in Bratislava, Sklabinská 1, 835 17 Bratislava, Slovakia
Olha Prokopenko: Economics Department, Collegium Mazovia Innovative University, 08-119 Siedlce, Poland
Jozefína Hvastová: Department of Economics, Faculty of Business Economy, University of Economics in Bratislava, 852 35 Košice, Slovakia
Magdaléna Freňáková: Department of Corporate Financial Management, Faculty of Business Economy, University of Economics in Bratislava, 852 35 Košice, Slovakia
Peter Gallo: Institute of Educology and Social Work, Faculty of Arts, University of Prešov in Prešov, 080 01 Prešov, Slovakia
Beáta Balogová: Institute of Educology and Social Work, Faculty of Arts, University of Prešov in Prešov, 080 01 Prešov, Slovakia

Energies, 2021, vol. 14, issue 14, 1-18

Abstract: Globally, millions of people suffer from poverty. This paper discusses the problem of poverty especially in relation to food waste. The prevention of food waste can also contribute to global poverty reduction, and the reduction of food waste is a tool for sustainable growth and competitiveness. At present, the number of people at risk of poverty and the amount of food waste are increasing at unsustainable rates. An integrated and efficient tool for the management of food, energy, and water (FEW) resources to improve FEW security via an interdisciplinary approach could help address several of the most significant global challenges, such as climate change, and economic, environmental, and social security. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between the existence of poverty and the treatment of food for sustainable growth. The analysis focused on the EU countries and the main data source was the Eurostat database. Households generally create the largest proportion of food waste. Pareto analysis shows that in households, food and non-alcoholic beverages are among the first group of expenses, and in the EU countries they represent approximately 12% of the total expenses. Food and non-alcoholic beverages are a stable, unavoidable, and non-negligible element of total expenses. Paradoxically, enormous amounts of food are wasted. A relatively weak inversely proportional relationship between the amount of food waste per capita and the proportion of the population at risk of poverty among the total population of EU countries was identified through correlational analysis. A very weak relationship between the share of the population at risk of poverty in the total population and the amount of food waste per capita, excluding the population at risk of poverty, was also found.

Keywords: poverty reduction; food waste; managerial tools; sustainability; circular economy; the food–energy–water (FEW) nexus; management of energy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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