engleski

CHALLENGES IN ORGANIZING A FOOD DONATION SYSTEM: REQUIREMENTS AND BARRIERS FOR THE FOOD BUSINESS OPERATORS

The largest waste and food losses occur in the most developed countries of the world. In Europe, around 20% of edible food is thrown away and EU countries are struggling to develop and employ more efficient food waste prevention policies. Croatia also participates in debates and policy creation at the EU level. Like in many other EU countries, Croatia reports on simultaneously increasing food wastage and, at the same time, inhabitants’ deprivation. Nearly 400, 000 t of wasted food is reported annually, along with the estimation of 20% of the population being at risk of poverty. Considering all the aforementioned, this paper explores what factors affect corporate donors’ decision to donate and whether there are bottlenecks in the system, which cause obstacles to the food donations and reducing overall food losses and food waste. To assess the current situation, we designed a pilot study aiming at exploring food donating patterns in Croatian firms dealing with food. A questionnaire was sent to over 2, 000 firms but we received only 41 feedback, out of which 34 were suitable for further analysis. Low responsiveness was also indicative of low awareness of the given topic, so we considered important to analyze and present the results, even though we are aware of issues related with small sample size. Main findings are related to inadequate design and regulation of the national food donation business model, which imposes barriers to corporate donors and results in a weak donation culture in Croatian firms. Instead of donating food, complexity of the regulatory and administrative system, low visibility and accessibility of charitable organizations, logistic issues and scarce information on the existing donating procedures, drive food business firms to choose food waste disposal as a common waste management policy.

food donation system, food bank, legal and operational barriers, business model, central organization

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