CIRCULAR ECONOMY AS AN EFFECTIVE TOOL FOR REDUCING FOOD LOSS AND WASTE IN UKRAINE AND WORLDWIDE

Abstract

Subject of research. The theoretical and methodological provisions and practical foundations for the formation of the foundations for the development of a circular economy in the food sector of Ukraine as a tool for reducing losses and waste. Purpose. Assess the development of the circular economy in the food sector in Ukraine and the world based on the study of trends in waste management and losses in the production of raw materials and food products. Methods. To achieve the goal of the study, general scientific and special methods were used: dialectical and logical to generalize the scientific foundations for the development of a circular economy in the food sector; economic and statistical – for processing, analyzing and forecasting statistical data; tabular and graphic – to visualize and summarize the results of the study. Results. The rating of the circular economy showed a differentiated attitude to waste generation in the leading European countries. In general, the development of the circular economy is more effective in Germany, although significant amounts of food waste are generated there due to the large population. In Ukraine, the volume of household waste is 1.5 times higher than the similar volume in Europe on average. The volume of waste from the production of food products in Ukraine (pulp, feces, molasses, whey, etc.) reaches 3.7 million tons. A significant share of these wastes is disposed of (about 40% of feces and 60% of serum) and is not reprocessed. At the same time, recently there have been positive tendencies to reduce the volume of losses and waste of food raw materials and their subsequent processing. In particular, the share of losses and waste in the production of grains and legumes has been constantly decreasing over the past 10 years, and by 2025, given current trends, it may be halved. Reducing the loss of food raw materials is a measure of prevention of solving the problem of hunger in the world. So far, the annual volume of grain waste in Ukraine is equivalent to the volume of food that could feed 2 million people. Scope of research results. The results are of a scientific and practical nature and can be used by scientists in further research on the development of a circular economy in the food sector. They can serve as a source of reference and methodological information and be used by economists, specialists from food and processing industries, specialists from authorities, scientists, teachers, graduate students and students of higher educational institutions.