Summary
This project outlines a study on food losses in Modern Times which explores reasons,magnitude and features of food wastage in the past. The research will focus on northern Italy, although, whenever allowed, a comparative perspective will be adopted, providing insights into the European scenario. By ‘food loss’ literature refers to the food produced and yet turned inedible for a number of reasons: nowadays, as well as in the past, food loss accounts for a significant part of the overarching term ‘food wastage’. Essentially food loss remains distinct from ‘food waste’, since the former takes place at production, post-harvest and processing stages, whilst the latter, much more widely debated, occurs only at the end of the food chain. Focusing on well-documented and highly representative case-studies,this research will investigate the incidence of grain losses as a whole, its core features and its main consequences against the backdrop of pre-industrial Europe. Accounting records combined with relevant scientific literature of the time will cast a light on grain losses occurring at storage and processing stages. By bringing new data on cereal preservation in a chemical-free setting, this study will provide an original contribution to the current food wastage debate.
Unlike food waste, commonly treated as a cultural phenomenon, food loss tends to be accounted as a mere technical issue, therefore disengaging humanities and social sciences specialists as a whole. This study will highlight to what extent cultural aspects, such as scientific knowledge, belief system and local policy would play a role in this process. As a matter of fact, food loss is still nowadays considered as a prominent issue even in areas endowed with adequate facilities and avant-garde technologies, pointing out that innovative models for future supply chains need an holistic and creative approach to which historical knowledge can be highly beneficial.
Unlike food waste, commonly treated as a cultural phenomenon, food loss tends to be accounted as a mere technical issue, therefore disengaging humanities and social sciences specialists as a whole. This study will highlight to what extent cultural aspects, such as scientific knowledge, belief system and local policy would play a role in this process. As a matter of fact, food loss is still nowadays considered as a prominent issue even in areas endowed with adequate facilities and avant-garde technologies, pointing out that innovative models for future supply chains need an holistic and creative approach to which historical knowledge can be highly beneficial.
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| Web resources: | https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/797802 |
| Start date: | 01-01-2019 |
| End date: | 04-07-2021 |
| Total budget - Public funding: | 180 277,20 Euro - 180 277,00 Euro |
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Original description
This project outlines a study on food losses in Modern Times which explores reasons,magnitude and features of food wastage in the past. The research will focus on northern Italy, although, whenever allowed, a comparative perspective will be adopted, providing insights into the European scenario. By ‘food loss’ literature refers to the food produced and yet turned inedible for a number of reasons: nowadays, as well as in the past, food loss accounts for a significant part of the overarching term ‘food wastage’. Essentially food loss remains distinct from ‘food waste’, since the former takes place at production, post-harvest and processing stages, whilst the latter, much more widely debated, occurs only at the end of the food chain. Focusing on well-documented and highly representative case-studies,this research will investigate the incidence of grain losses as a whole, its core features and its main consequences against the backdrop of pre-industrial Europe. Accounting records combined with relevant scientific literature of the time will cast a light on grain losses occurring at storage and processing stages. By bringing new data on cereal preservation in a chemical-free setting, this study will provide an original contribution to the current food wastage debate.Unlike food waste, commonly treated as a cultural phenomenon, food loss tends to be accounted as a mere technical issue, therefore disengaging humanities and social sciences specialists as a whole. This study will highlight to what extent cultural aspects, such as scientific knowledge, belief system and local policy would play a role in this process. As a matter of fact, food loss is still nowadays considered as a prominent issue even in areas endowed with adequate facilities and avant-garde technologies, pointing out that innovative models for future supply chains need an holistic and creative approach to which historical knowledge can be highly beneficial.
Status
CLOSEDCall topic
MSCA-IF-2017Update Date
28-04-2024
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