Food redistribution: A critical review of an overlooked priority measure against food waste

Abstract

Food redistribution is widely recognized as a preferred strategy for reducing food loss and waste. Yet it is still treated mainly as charitable relief, while its broader role in governance and the conditions for effective implementation remain insufficiently articulated. Drawing on a triple bottom line perspective and sustainable development goal coupling framework, this study synthesizes evidence from the literature, international practice, and field research in China to examine the contributions of food redistribution, the constraints that shape its performance, and the models through which it can be scaled. We find that existing research provides much stronger evidence on social benefits than on economic mechanisms or environmental outcomes, which remain constrained by value-cost mismatches, uncertainty in substitution assumptions, and limited activity data. Cross-dimensional evaluation and analysis of synergies also remain weak. In practice, international experience points to a transferable operational architecture based on hub-and-spoke networks and standardized procedures, but successful scaling depends on aligning policy tools with operational mechanisms to reduce systemic frictions. The Chinese cases extend this understanding by identifying two complementary implementation models, centralized and decentralized, each adapted to different institutional and market conditions. Together, these findings highlight the important role of food redistribution in sustainable food and waste governance, and offer practical support for integrated evaluation and wider implementation.