농식품 유통 및 소비단계 폐기물 감축방안

Abstract

농식품 폐기는 소비에 적합한 농식품이 수확 이후 가공·유통·소비 단계에서 부주의에 의해 혹은 의도적으로 버려지는 것을 모두 포함하는 포괄적인 개념을 가지고 있으나, 그동안 농식품 폐기 문제에 대한 관심은 음식물 쓰레기 수거·처리에 집중되어 있었다. 그렇기 때문에 농식품의 생산부터 소비에 이르는 단계까지 폐기물이 되지 않도록 사전에 억제하는 예방적 차원의 대응이 충분히 이루어지지 못했다.이 연구는 농식품 유통·소비단계에서 발생하는 폐기 실태와 요인을 파악하고 효과적인 감축방안을 도출하는 것을 목적으로 추진되었다. 이 연구의 주목할 점은 그 간 부족했던 농식품 폐기 현황과 실태를 파악하고, 기존의 국내 음식물 쓰레기 감축 정책의 한계를 보완 및 개선할 수 있는 농식품 폐기 발생 예방을 위한 대안을 제시하며, 민간 주체들의 인식과 행동 변화를 유도할 수 있는 다양한 아이디어를 제공한 것이다.

Background and Purpose ○ 1.3 billion tons of agri-food are lost or discarded every year without reaching the table. 56% of the world's agri-food loss and waste occurs in developed countries (North America, Oceania, Europe, Korea, Japan, and China). The three countries—Korea, China, and Japan— account for half (28%). Considering that the amount of agri-food waste in Korea has increased by 15.8% over the past five years and the economic cost has reached KRW 20 trillion, it can be seen that the problem of agri-food disposal in Korea is also severe.○ Disposal of agri-food throughout the agri-food supply chain incurs economic costs and increases social and environmental burdens. In particular, agri-food waste occurs the most at the retail and consumption stages. As part of international efforts, the goal of reducing agri-food waste at the retail and consumption level was set first in the Food Loss and Disposal Index (12.3) of the UN SDGs.○ Efforts were made to reduce domestic waste, but it was evaluated that there were no epoch-making results. Existing policies that have been promoted so far show limitations as they are limited to an ex-post approach that focuses on the issue of agri-food waste treatment. In particular, the amount of agri-food waste generated in Korea is expected to be continuously affected by changes in consumption trends and the retail environment. However, seeking an appropriate reduction plan to respond to these changes is a tough challenge as the causes of agri-food waste in the retail and consumption stages, the contribution by each of them, and the effects and limitations of the existing regulations are not traceable. ○ To suggest effective alternatives to agri-food waste reduction, it is necessary to understand the current status of agri-food waste in the retail and consumption stages. In addition, it is essential to analyze the actual conditions of agri-food disposal by related sectors and the behavioral factors of the subjects and analyze the economic effect and acceptance of reduction alternatives. Based on these endeavors, this study presents effective alternatives. Also, it identifies the actual conditions and factors of disposal occurring in the retail and consumption stages of agri-food and derive effective reduction measures.(For more information, please refer to the report.)