Perdas em frutas e hortaliças na Central de Abastecimento de Londrina-PR

Abstract

Food waste is a worrying phenomenon that generates negative economic, environmental and social impacts, therefore, it is necessary to reduce it as much as possible. Within the fruit and vegetable production and consumption chain, there are the CEASAs, fundamental for the distribution of food produced in the field, but which are also linked to food waste. In this context, the present study aimed to raise the waste of fruits and vegetables at Supply Centerin Londrina/PR. For this purpose, biweekly visits were made to seven sales stands, during the months of May and September 2022, in order to obtain quantitative data (percentage wasted) and qualitative data (reasons for wasting) of 25 fruits and vegetables sold on site. Quantitative research revealed that the average rate of waste of fruits and vegetables evaluated was 7.79% during the investigation period, which reveals the impact of CEASAs on food waste. Non-acidic fruits had the lowest index, while vegetables had the highest. In the qualitative scope, the defects that resulted in waste were mainly due to mechanical action (cuts, dents, perforations), physiological (withering and accelerated decomposition) and phytopathological (rotting) factors.