The evolution of food donation with respect to waste prevention

The donation of food which is still edible can be seen as a specific application of urban mining as food is recovered for its original purpose - human intake. There are several projects implemented worldwide but due to a lack of data, scientific literature about the topic is rare. This paper summarises briefly the evolution of food donation activities and gives information on the differences and similarities of current organisations distributing food to people in need as well as the political, legal, social and logistical barriers and incentives which occur with respect to this topic. A concept for a food donation network is presented and impact on ecology, economy and society is discussed. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.