Food waste accounts for nearly one-third of global food production, and Brazil is among the countries with the highest levels of household food waste, exacerbating national food insecurity that affects approximately 52 million people. Addressing this challenge is crucial for advancing cleaner production and more sustainable consumption patterns. This study examines the behavioral determinants of food waste in Brazilian households to support the development of prevention-oriented strategies. A literature review identified key behavioral drivers, informing an analytical framework grounded in the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). Survey data collected from 2047 consumers were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The results confirmed eleven of the eighteen proposed hypotheses. Environmental and economic concerns, feelings of guilt, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control significantly increased consumers' intention to reduce food waste. Conversely, actual food waste behavior was primarily explained by perceived behavioral control, household planning practices, consumption of convenience foods, and the identity associated with being a good provider. By highlighting how behavioral factors shape household food waste in an emerging economy, this study contributes to the literature on sustainable consumption, offers insights for designing effective food waste prevention policies, and supports broader efforts to promote cleaner production and reduce resource inefficiencies and environmental impacts.

Objective: Analyze the extent of food waste that occurs in a Popular Restaurant unit located in the state of Rio de Janeiro. Theoretical Framework: In Brazil, “popular restaurants” are establishments that provide affordable meals to low-income people who are food insecure. Reducing waste in these restaurants would make it possible to expand the population served, as well as improve the quality of the meals offered. Method: The study was conducted in two stages. Initially, we diagnosed the problem through semi-structured interviews, participant observation and data collection. We then compared the results obtained with those reported in the literature on food waste in restaurants. Results and Discussion: We found that the restaurant in question sets targets for wasted dishes (3%) and kitchen scraps (2%), allowing the determination of the overall limit on the amount of wasted food. The restaurant exceeded these targets in the period analyzed, characterizing excessive food waste. Research Implications: The research highlights the importance of controlling food waste, contributing to operational efficiency, cost reduction and promoting sustainability. Originality/Value: The research stands out for its originality in investigating food waste in a popular restaurant, a topic little explored in academic literature. Its practical approach provides unprecedented data and replicable strategies for waste management, contributing to public policies on food security and sustainability.

Macauba (Acrocomia aculeata) is a promising source of oil that can be used in various industrial segments. It also has great versatility for food production. In Brazil, it encompasses an opportunity for social inclusion, profitable activity and environmental care. However, in the northeastern region, macauba fruits are harvested from native palms through extractivism, resulting in low productivity and quality of fruits. Field research was carried out in a region of the state of Ceará (CE), semiarid region, where macauba is traditionally exploited, as no timber product, by the local community. Then, the objectives of the present study are to evaluate the current agroindustrial system - AIS, in a representative region of the Northeastern Brazil, and propose strategic actions to improve the AIS at macauba value chain. The framework used to analyze the AIS includes data gathering from field interviews and direct observations. Some challenges were identified through direct observations, such as the reliance of production on unfavorable conditions to crop, the deficiencies in technical assistance and the difficulty small farmers face in accessing credit and public policies. The AIS is primarily characterized by subsistence activities, even with access to in natura fruits, and a diversity of products derived from macauba, which are considered strengths of the system. In light of the results, this study proposes strategic actions to enhance the competitiveness of AIS, including investments in training, technical assistance and the creation of credit lines aimed at improving macauba AIS value chains.

One of the main challenges in ethanol production within alcohol industries is the management of vinasse, a voluminous and highly toxic waste. This demands the search for alternatives for its reprocessing and disposal since its release into the environment results in soil and water pollution, leading to an unhealthy environment, ecological imbalances, and harm to wildlife. Given the relevance of this issue, the main objective of this study was to research patents in leading databases focused on vinasse treatment. The results were then correlated with an analysis of publications on vinasse application in new products and processes from January 1990 to December 2021. Additionally, we conducted a research profile analysis using three software tools (VOSViewer, CiteSpace, and CitNetExplorer) to extract citation networks, identify the main research groups, and comprehend the evolution of vinasse-related research over time. The results showed that most frequent applications are: i) biofuel production; ii) treatment; iii) recovery of organic compounds; iv) enzymatic hydrolysis; v) bioremediation; vi) fertilizer. With this, articles were searched for the investigation of innovations in the sugar-cane ethanol production chain. Most articles focus on the treatment of vinasse using microorganisms, in addition to the reuse of this effluent as a fertilizer. Thus, this study contributes to the presentation of the main works in the field and the literature regarding the use of vinasse and pointing out the current challenges to be overcome.

An emerging trend among consumers is the pursuit of healthier eating habits while minimizing environmental damage, thus increasing the intention for consumption of organic foods. In this context, this study hypothesizes that household food waste is influenced by organic food purchase intention, which, in turn, is influenced by environmental concern, health consciousness, hedonic shopping, and negatively affected by price. Hence, the objective of this study is to propose and empirically test a theoretical framework with Brazilian consumers. Data from 240 respondents were electronically collected and analyzed through structural equation modeling. The results suggest that environmental concern, price consciousness, and health consciousness significantly influence organic food purchase intention, while hedonic shopping value does not. Furthermore, although organic food purchase intention reduced household food waste, the effect size of this relationship was found to be extremely low, suggesting it to be a poor predictor. This paper contributes to the existing literature on consumer behavior and waste management further by not only examining the relationship between two research streams but also by shedding light on unique aspects of an emerging country.

Este estudo busca avaliar o conhecimento e opiniões da comunidade acadêmica em Volta Redonda - RJ sobre os pontos voluntários de desapego (PVD) do projeto "Cantinho do Reúso" da Universidade Federal Fluminense e identificar pontos de melhoria para expansão do mesmo. A pesquisa, combina abordagens qualitativas e quantitativas, e utiliza a estatística descritiva e análise de conteúdo para apresentar e analisar os dados da pesquisa survey realizada. Os resultados revelam que a maioria dos 203 respondentes considera a educação crucial para o consumo sustentável. Comportamentos como redução do desperdício e reutilização são associados ao consumo sustentável. Embora a maioria esteja ciente do "Cantinho do Reúso", poucos o utilizam, sugerindo melhorias na divulgação, organização, mas incentivando sua expansão. Esses insights podem formar estratégias mais eficazes para conscientização e engajamento da comunidade na reutilização e educação para o consumo sustentável.

The Macauba palm has been studied because of increasing global interest in multipurpose resilient plants, with no food or energy competition. The crop encompasses an opportunity to social inclusion, profitable activity and environmental care in Brazil. However, for its production to be competitive, it demands a deeper analysis of how the Agroindustrial System (AIS) is currently organized and what is needed to go forward. The objectives of the present study were to characterize and evaluate the competitiveness of macauba AIS at the main Brazilian production region, the north of Minas Gerais State. Stakeholders engaged in fruit picking and processing seg-ments were identified and characterized. In addition, strategic actions to strengthen this AIS were proposed. The framework used to evaluate the competitiveness of the AIS includes data gathering from field interviews, direct observations and analysis of the macauba AIS. Some challenges were picked from the direct observations such as the reliance of production on unfavourable environmental conditions, the deficiencies in technical assistance and the difficulty of farmers to access credit and public policies. Despite those hurdles, the examined AIS showed potential to expand and become competitive, promoting better conditions for the permanence of family farmers/ communities in the countryside. It is important to consider that macauba exploitation is getting to a point of transition from extractive activity to a systematized planting of the palm. Some strategies to boost this growth are better coordination among the agents acting in the AIS, establishment of more active R&D and technical assistance partnerships, capacity building/ training offerings, and provision of resources for investments inten-ded for the sustainable development of the macauba AIS and market access.

Este trabalho avaliou a sustentabilidade do sistema de gestão de resíduos sólidos urbanos (RSU) do município de Volta Redonda, no estado do Rio de Janeiro, utilizando indicadores de sustentabilidade. Aplicando a técnica Delphi, os indicadores foram priorizados quanto ao grau de importância, resultando em 17 indicadores distribuídos nas dimensões: ambiental, política, tecnológica, financeira, do conhecimento e social. Os indicadores foram avaliados no município em estudo. Observou-se que a falta de um Plano Municipal de Gestão Integrada de Resíduos Sólidos (PMGIRS) aliado a outros fatores como o reduzido número de lixeiras públicas e uma coleta seletiva pouco efetiva contribuem para um cenário menos sustentável. A falta de investimentos em capacitação de agentes de limpeza pública atrelada à falta de pontos de entrega voluntária de resíduos segregados e a não execução do PMGIRS resultaram em uma gestão menos sustentável dos RSU no município.

• Food waste paper reviews are still scarce. • The paper presents a systematic mapping study on household food waste. • 190 papers were selected and analyzed to propose a conceptual framework. • The study proposes a conceptual framework extending the Theory of Planned Behavior. • Thirteen food waste predictors were found to evaluate consumer behavior.

Anais do 61º Congresso da Sociedade Brasileira de Economia, Administração e Sociologia Rural (SOBER) (978-85-5722-931-0) - Desperdícios De Alimentos Em Domicílios: Como A Literatura Tem Abordado Esse Desafio?

Food waste is a worldwide problem. One third of the food produced in the world is lost or wasted every year. Most of this waste takes place downstream of the supply chain due to consumer behavior. This issue is expected to increase in both developed and emerging economies. With the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, a range of challenges led to changes in consumer behavior. This study explores household food waste behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic through the lens of the Theory of Planned Behavior. The risk perception regarding the pandemic was integrated into a broader framework, which was analyzed by Structural Equation Modeling. The sample comprises the participation of 452 Brazilian individuals. The results show that all the predictors incorporated in the model were statistically significant. The intention of reducing household food waste during the pandemic was found to be the strongest predictor of food waste behavior. Additionally, the pandemic apparently influenced consumers' perceptions about the control they think they have over food waste. This research has theoretical and managerial implications. From a theoretical perspective, this study identifies key predictors of household food waste by considering a period of health crisis in an emerging country. From a managerial standpoint, this research may provide a learning experience for future similar scenarios. Results may also motivate consumers to look for ways to reduce, reuse and recycle food waste.

This study aims to identify the main causes of food waste (especially fruit and vegetables) and their relationship with prevention practices at supermarket and supplier levels. To do so, we conducted case studies in four Brazilian supermarket chains and their suppliers. Our findings show that although supermarkets seem to be concerned about avoiding food waste, they mostly focus on internal prevention actions, reflecting the lack of collaboration and information between supermarkets and suppliers. The low investment of supermarkets in actions to prevent food waste is focused only on their internal operations and, despite this, training is inefficient due to the high level of staff turnover and lack of involvement of suppliers in participating in this training. The use of technologies such as packaging, traceability, refrigeration, and transport equipment is insufficient, it increases production costs. A lack of strict legislation in Brazil makes it difficult for supermarkets and suppliers to donate food. Cultural issues specific to Brazil, such as consumer overhandling fruit and vegetables before buying these products, generate a great deal of waste. The paper contributes to the literature by identifying the main root causes of food waste and providing a list of prevention practices that supermarkets and suppliers can benefit from. Managerially, it can help supermarket managers spot the causes of food waste within their operations, and hence change, improve or implement practices and behavior to prevent food waste.

Sustainable consumption requires that people, companies, and nations promote correct use of their resources in the interest of environmental protection and ecosystem integrity. Given the relevance of this subject, the main objective of the present study was to provide an overview of the literature on sustainable consumption, going beyond knowledge related to consumer behavior, and addressing questions connected with the role of companies and public policies in the promotion of sustainable consumption. To achieve that, a systematic literature review was carried out by selecting 114 articles published over the past ten years, from Web of Science categories with an environmental focus. The study allowed for showing the state of the art of the subject, as well as suggestions for future studies based on gaps in the literature. It was found that there is a concentration of studies oriented toward surveying and understanding consumer behavior at the expense of those focused on examining companies and their relationship with sustainability and consumption.

Aim: The Brazilian Public Administration has several procedures established by law which need to be executed by its employees in a satisfactory and opportune way. Nevertheless, the Management Registry Conformity consisting of a Public Administrative procedure that has not been carried out with the necessary stiffness, and there is a disarray between what is actually fulfilled and what is determined by law. In this context, the present study has had as motivation to verify how the Management Registry Conformity has been executed within the researched institution in order to contribute to the effective development of this activity. It also presents solutions to sooth the found problems avoiding future punishments by control bodies. So, the main objective of this research is to propound a management process for the correct fulfillment of the Management Registry Conformity in a Federal Teaching Institution. Procedures / Method for solving the problem: It is an applied, exploratory and descriptive research with a qualitative approach. The methodological procedures were divided in two moments: procedures to investigate the problem and procedures to propose a solution for it. The proceeding of data collection to detect the problem consisted of a documentary research through the informations gathering from a Brazilian Government System called SIAFI (Financial Management System), and in a research questionnaire answered by federal employees who effectively perform in the management conformity at researched institution. This informations allowed to do the mapping of the current process of Management Registry Conformity. To solve the found problem, a case study was carried out based on a reference public agency in the process of Management Registry Conformity, using the interview technique to collect informations. The data found out from the case study together with the researched bibliographic allowed the elaboration of the ideal Management Registry Conformity process. This process is the main basis for the artifact, the technical and technological product of this research which consists in a management procedure for analysis and execution of Management Registry Conformity. In this study was still adopted a design science approach, whose core is in the elaboration and application of artifacts. As suggested by the design science methodology, the artifact must pass through the validation stage and it occurred next to manager of the Institution, through an interview. Results: The results showed that the Management Registry Conformity procedure is not being correctly accomplished in the researched institution and the main reasons for it are the accumulation of functions besides the lack of training and technical knowledge of many conformists on the issues involving the Management Registry Conformity. Practical implications: The results suggest that the administrative routines of the researched institution should be reviewed with a focus on the prevention of a legal accountability. Thereby, the management conformists will be directly benefited, since this work develops an artifact that allows the support to their daily activities. The artifact has as the main purpose to assist them in the right execution of the Management Registry Conformity procedure. It is supposed that, adopting the solutions suggested by this worky, the institution will be complying with the legal determination, reducing the existing weaknesses in the organizational environment and avoiding future punishments by the control bodies such as payment of fines, blocking of property and condemnations of the involved federal employees. Originality and contributions: The artifact has developed in favor of the researched institution and it has a great potential to contribute to the training of the current federal employees involved in the conformity process, and with future ones, in cases of high staff turnover in the department. Moreover, this project will provide more safety to managers through the satisfactory performance of the Management Registry Conformity procedure. These contributions have adherence to the line of scientific and technological action – LACT 3: Competitiveness, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, because it is an internal management work that look for efficiency and effectiveness in the Management Registry Conformity process. Technical / Technological Production: Thus, the developed artifact corresponds to a managerial process to assist conformists federal employees in the performance of their function. Therefore, it is a non-patentable technical and technological product belonging to Axis 1 - Products and Processes. The management process has applicability of latent scope with the proposal to be widely disseminated and applied in the evidenced institution after the validation of the artifact with its manager. It is also a production with average content of innovation and complexity, involving the combination and contribution of the various manuals about Management Registry Conformity as a reference for the development of this product.

Food waste research is growing over the years. Approximately one third of all produced food in the world is lost or wasted annually. However, few studies address food waste in the restaurant's environment. In restaurants, food waste includes leftovers and plate waste. The leftovers are equivalent to prepared but not served food, while plate waste is all the food that was distributed but not consumed. This study quantifies food waste in a chain of industrial restaurants in an industrial park in Brazil. The measurement process covered 14 restaurants that provide around 12,000 meals a day. The data collection lasted 9 months and gathered data for a period of one month for each restaurant during lunchtime. The results indicated daily waste of 1,297 kg, that is, 938 kg for leftovers and 359 kg for plate waste. These numbers indicate excessive production of food and waste of food on plates. The food waste quantified in the present study is equivalent to serving 1,638 meals, considering the same standard offered in the restaurants covered in the research. This food waste, which was measured just during lunchtime, costs the company around U$3,675.99/day. The study focused on the period of lunchtime, which is usually the main meal for Brazilians. However, it would be important to map the other meals to generate data and measurement protocols for reducing food waste. Contributions in the economic, environmental, and social spheres can serve as points of discussion for the implementation of measures that can fight food waste in restaurants.

The risks of scarcity have forced several countries to change their water resources management. In Brazil, the Paraíba do Sul River has a great importance as it supplies water for many cities of the Southeast region. Thus, the management of water and wastewater systems demands a more sustainable and efficient scenario. The study's objective was to evaluate, through sustainability indicators, the urban water management system in Volta Redonda (Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil). The selection of sustainability indicators was done through Delphi technique: a group of eight specialists selected the indicators used to evaluate sustainability, its dimension and level of importance. The six criteria for the classification of indicators according to the dimensions of sustainability were: (1) Environmental / Ecological, (2) Economic, (3) Social / Cultural, (4) Technological (5) Ethical and (6) Political / Institutional. Most of the indicators were considered "very important" or just "important". Regarding the dimension of sustainability, 93% of indicators contemplated more than three dimensions. However, 13 indicators contemplated all the six dimensions as they were multidimensional indicators, analyzed according to the municipal data. The chosen method for the indicator's selection was considered quite satisfactory, since they were able to generate a set of key indicators to show the current municipal water and wastewater scenario. The city has shown satisfactory conditions regarding fresh water supply index. However, some indicators pointed a not sustainable system due to the low wastewater treatment index, precarious state of the river's life and divergences between the basin plan and the municipal director plan.

RESUMO O estudo das causas do desperdício alimentar e das potenciais intervenções para a sua minimização está entre as preocupações centrais daqueles que trabalham com alimentos. A alimentação na educação, que inclui os refeitórios das universidades, está entre os setores que merecem atenção, uma vez que quantidades significativas de alimentos são desperdiçadas pelos consumidores. Entretanto, ainda há uma escassez de estudos que abordem o problema. Este estudo teve como objetivo geral investigar o desperdício de alimentos em um refeitório de uma universidade brasileira, bem como a percepção dos consumidores em relação às refeições servidas. Por meio de um questionário, foi possível investigar quais as principais percepções dos consumidores, e o que poderia estar por trás da geração do desperdício. Utilizou-se a correlação de Spearman a fim de verificar a correlação entre o desperdício alimentar e a percepção dos consumidores sobre as razões por trás da geração do desperdício. Verificou-se um desperdício médio de 68 g/consumidor. Além disso, foi observado que os consumidores que colocavam os alimentos em bandejas desperdiçavam mais alimentos do que aqueles que optavam por comer em pratos. As informações coletadas foram utilizadas para propor potenciais intervenções voltadas à redução do desperdício de alimentos em refeitórios universitários.

Initiatives related to reverse logistics are increasingly common in companies that produce tires, lubricating oils, batteries, and electronic equipment, among others. In the pharmaceutical sector, reverse logistics is also relevant, contributing to reduce medication exposure to other people and the environment. Thus, this research seeks to find out which practices related to reverse logistics are used in 13 hospitals in the state of Rio de Janeiro. Regarding the methodological procedures, this research is supported by interviews with those responsible for disposing of medicines from hospitals, and the best practices were ranked using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method. Among the main difficulties for performing Medicine Reverse Logistics practices in hospitals, the absence of a standard process for medicine disposal and medications held by nurses or satellite pharmacies-for being out of control-stand out.

Food loss and waste (FLW) result in significant social, economic, and environmental costs. Although FLW occurs at different levels of food supply chains, retailers can play a key role in the fight against this issue. Food loss (FL) is a decrease in the quantity or quality of food resulting from decisions and actions by food suppliers in the chain, while food waste (FW) refers to the result of decisions and actions by retailers, food service providers, and consumers. Various public policies aimed at fighting FLW and determining alternative destinations for unused food have been implemented around the world. Brazil has established the National Policy on Solid Waste and passed legislation addressing the fight against hunger. These measures have made retailers seek ways to minimize FW and find destination alternatives. This paper introduces the description of an FW in retail supermarkets and strategies for the prevention of FW and alternative destination for unused food that have been adopted (or can be adopted) in Brazil. This is a multi-case study, with data collected through bibliographic and document research and interviews with managers. The results showed that the food categories with greater perishability (fruits, vegetables, butchery, and bakery) also have a higher percentage of loss. The main reasons for these losses were operational breakdowns (management failures) and internal and external theft. A greater number of prevention strategies were observed in regional networks compared to local and independent companies. For all cases, the sale of recyclable goods and proper disposal in landfills were pointed out as the main strategies for alternative destinations of unused food.