TY - JOUR
T1 - Let Them Eat Fish!-Exploring the Possibility of Utilising Unwanted Catch in Food Bank Parcels in The Netherlands
AU - Rao, Madhura
AU - Bilić, Lea
AU - Duwel, Joanna
AU - Herentrey, Charlotte
AU - Lehtinen, Essi
AU - Lee, Malin
AU - Díaz Calixto, María Alejandra
AU - Bast, Aalt
AU - de Boer, Alie
N1 - Funding Information:
Acknowledgments: The authors would like to thank all study participants and the volunteers of Food Bank Venlo for their cooperation. The feedback provided by Frits van Osch is greatly appreciated by all authors. This research has been made possible with the support of the Dutch Province of Limburg.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
PY - 2021/11/11
Y1 - 2021/11/11
N2 - The Common Fisheries Policy of the European Union was reformed in 2013 with the aim of improving the sustainability of the fishing sector. The Landing Obligation, a cornerstone of this reform, requires fishers to land their unwanted catch instead of discarding it at sea. Existing literature pays little attention to what becomes of this unwanted catch once it is landed. To further the discourse on the sustainable valorisation of unwanted catch, this study explores whether unwanted catch that is safe for human consumption could be used for improving food security. The paper focuses on Dutch food banks, which deliver critical food aid to over 160,000 individuals yearly but struggle to provide all dependant recipients with nutritionally balanced food parcels. The research question is addressed in two ways. The food bank recipients' willingness to consume UWC is evaluated quantitatively through a survey. Next to this, data from interviews with relevant stakeholders are analysed qualitatively. Results indicate that the Food Bank Foundation and its recipients are willing to receive this fish if it is safe to consume and accessible. However, various factors such as existing infrastructure, lack of economic incentive to donate, competition from non-food and black markets, and the fishing industry's conflict with the landing obligation might pose barriers to this kind of valorisation. The dissonance between fisheries, food, and sustainability policies is discussed and identified as a key limiting factor. To bridge the differences between these policy areas, we propose public-private partnerships and voluntary agreements among involved stakeholders.
AB - The Common Fisheries Policy of the European Union was reformed in 2013 with the aim of improving the sustainability of the fishing sector. The Landing Obligation, a cornerstone of this reform, requires fishers to land their unwanted catch instead of discarding it at sea. Existing literature pays little attention to what becomes of this unwanted catch once it is landed. To further the discourse on the sustainable valorisation of unwanted catch, this study explores whether unwanted catch that is safe for human consumption could be used for improving food security. The paper focuses on Dutch food banks, which deliver critical food aid to over 160,000 individuals yearly but struggle to provide all dependant recipients with nutritionally balanced food parcels. The research question is addressed in two ways. The food bank recipients' willingness to consume UWC is evaluated quantitatively through a survey. Next to this, data from interviews with relevant stakeholders are analysed qualitatively. Results indicate that the Food Bank Foundation and its recipients are willing to receive this fish if it is safe to consume and accessible. However, various factors such as existing infrastructure, lack of economic incentive to donate, competition from non-food and black markets, and the fishing industry's conflict with the landing obligation might pose barriers to this kind of valorisation. The dissonance between fisheries, food, and sustainability policies is discussed and identified as a key limiting factor. To bridge the differences between these policy areas, we propose public-private partnerships and voluntary agreements among involved stakeholders.
KW - Common Fisheries Policy
KW - food security
KW - food waste
KW - landing obligation
KW - sustainability
U2 - 10.3390/foods10112775
DO - 10.3390/foods10112775
M3 - Article
C2 - 34829053
SN - 2304-8158
VL - 10
JO - Foods
JF - Foods
IS - 11
M1 - 2775
ER -