Metrics and Management
Metrics and Management
Understanding how much food is being wasted, where it is being wasted and its social, economic, and environmental impacts.
The total volume, and associated costs, of food waste in New Zealand is not accurately known. Without robust measures of food waste quantities, it is difficult to set credible goals or targets, design effective interventions, or monitor progress. Obtaining accurate measures is key to identifying the most impactful areas to target work.
Our researchers have expertise in:
Measuring food loss and waste along the food supply chain, including post-harvest, retail and institutions
Understanding the drivers and barriers to food loss and waste
Advising on best practices to measure food loss and waste
Sheila Skeaff
Lead Researcher for Metrics and Management
Current Projects
Food Waste Innovation has been awarded a contract by the Ministry for the Environment to estimate food waste in Aotearoa New Zealand, creating New Zealand’s first food waste baseline. View news article.
Past Projects
Find all past Metric and Management-related projects in the Resource Hub.
Metrics and Management-related Publications
Clare, G., Diprose, G., Lee, L., Bremer, P., Skeaff, S., & Mirosa, M. (2023). Measuring the impact of food rescue: A social return on investment analysis. Food Policy, 117, 102454. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2023.102454
Li, C., Bremer, P., Harder, M. K., Lee, M. S. W., Parker, K., Gaugler, E. C., & Mirosa, M. (2022). A systematic review of food loss and waste in China: Quantity, impacts and mediators. Journal of Environmental Management, 303, 114092. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.114092
Thorsen, M., Mirosa, M., & Skeaff, S. (2021). A Quantitative and Qualitative Study of Food Loss in Glasshouse-Grown Tomatoes. Horticulturae, 8, 39. https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae8010039
Marshall, J., Wassilak, C., Mirosa, M., Mainvil, L., Chisnall, S., Jones, E. (2018). Food Waste in the Café and Restaurant Sector in NZ. Industry Report: http://www.wasteminz.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/New-Zealand-cafe-and-resturant-food-waste-WasteMINZ-2018.pdf
Goodman-Smith, F., Mirosa, M., & Skeaff, S. (2020). A mixed-methods study of retail food waste in New Zealand. Food Policy, 92, 101845. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2020.101845
Chisnall (2018), MDiet thesis: ‘A Taste for Consumption: Food Waste Generation in New Zealand Cafés and Restaurants’. Advisors: Mirosa, Miranda; Mainvil, Louise M Mirosa, L Mainvil. http://hdl.handle.net/10523/7942
Jones (2018), MDiet thesis: ‘An investigation into food waste produced in New Zealand restaurants and cafes’. Advisors: Mirosa, Miranda; Mainvil, Louise. http://hdl.handle.net/10523/7924
Mirosa, M., Mainvil, L., Horne, H., & Mangan-Walker, E. (2016). The social value of rescuing food, nourishing communities. British Food Journal, 118, 3044-3058. https://doi.org/10.1108/BFJ-04-2016-0149
Reynolds, C., Mirosa, M., & Clothier, B. (2016). New Zealand’s Food Waste: Estimating the Tonnes, Value, Calories and Resources Wasted. Agriculture, 6, 9. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture6010009
Horne (2016), MDiet thesis – ‘Evaluating the practicability and utility of the Social Return on Investment tool in public health nutrition: A food redistribution case study, New Zealand’. Advisors: M Mirosa, L Mainvil. http://hdl.handle.net/10523/6310
Mirosa, M. (2015). Household Food Waste Kitchen Diary Analysis for the Wider Wellington Region. Project report prepared for the Upper Hutt City Council, targeted at Wellington Regional Council Officers (Confidential report).
Ross (2015), MDiet thesis – ‘Food waste in the production kitchen of an in-flight services provider in NZ’. Advisors: M Mirosa, H Spence. http://hdl.handle.net/10523/5486
Reynolds, D. & Mirosa, M. (2014). A Load of Rubbish: Quantifying Food Waste in New Zealand. Project report prepared for WasteMINZ, the representative body of the waste and resource recovery sector in New Zealand (Confidential report).
Goonan, S., Mirosa, M., & Spence, H. (2014). Getting a taste for food waste: a mixed methods ethnographic study into hospital food waste before patient consumption conducted at three New Zealand foodservice facilities. J Acad Nutr Diet, 114(1), 63-71. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2013.09.022
Goonan (2013), MDiet thesis – ‘Getting A Taste For Food Waste: An ethnographic exploration into the generation of hospital food waste prior to patient consumption’. Advisors: M Mirosa, H. Spence. http://hdl.handle.net/10523/3813