This book presents the concept of food sharing from a European perspective, and provides a concise analysis of its safety implications and the chemical properties of recovered foods.
In our modern world, 33% of the total food produced is lost each year, with serious economic, environmental and social consequences. Food worth approximately 1 trillion USD is wasted per year, and it is estimated that this wasted food could feed more than 3.4 billion people. Considering that 1/10 of the global population still does not have enough money for basic needs, and in view of the impact of consumer behaviour, food retailers and industry in food waste, food sharing appears to be an attractive solution, and several communities have recently been created with the main goal of saving food and giving it to those in need. Despite the positive impact of food sharing, it also raises concerns since recovered foods are subject to spoilage, decay and irreversible chemical-physical transformations.
In this book, the authors explore the current situation and the regulatory definition of food sharing in various European countries, presenting the German experience in the city of Magdeburg, where food-sharing networks have been implemented. They also discuss the chemical and safety evaluations of durable foods, and provide a simulation of food waste by comparing a food product with the same food produced with re-worked and still edible raw materials (recovered foods).
Alessandra Pellerito is a Biologist graduated at the University of Bologna, Italy (2013) with full marks (110/100 cum laude) after the initial B.Sc. in Biology (Palermo, Italy). After a short period spent in the United Kingdom, Dr Pellerito moved to Germany (Magdeburg), where she has been working for two years as Research Assistant at the Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology. At present, Dr. Pellerito works as Food Consultant in the private sector (Germany). Alessandra's first article on food chemistry - Mania I, Barone C, Pellerito A, Laganà P, Parisi S, Trasparenza e Valorizzazione delle Produzioni Alimentari. L'etichettatura e la Tracciabilità di Filiera come Strumenti di Tutela delle Produzioni Alimentari, Industrie Alimentari (2017) - concerns authenticity problems, traceability and food labelling in the current European market.
Ralf Dounz-Weigt is a socialworker in case management at the Department of Childrens' and Young Peoples' Affairs of the city of Magdeburg, Germany. After His B.A. in social works, He is currently studying international social works (M. Sc.) in Hildesheim, Germany. Ralf has gained His experience in food sharing activities working as head of social facility and project manager at EMMA Spielwagen e.V., Magdeburg in the last six years.
Maria Micali is an experienced author in the field of food science and technology, with particular focus in chemistry, microbiology and hygiene. Dr. Micali obtained a PhD in food hygiene from the University of Messina, Italy, and she has been working on food chemistry and technology, food packaging hygiene, chemical and technological features of cheeses, study of sensorial features with reference to HACCP researches, and mandatory food traceability. Dr. Micali is also a lecturer in different sectors, including professional training. Her published works include 'The maximum water absorption in cheeses. Tripartite networks of absorbed molecules per nitrogen' (2009), 'The Chemistry of Thermal Food Processing Procedures' (2016), and 'Traceability in the Cheesemaking Field. The Regulatory Ambit and Practical Solutions' (2016).
