Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue comprises original articles regarding the sustainable development and practice of technologies leading to reducing waste in consumer food systems, consisting of both the food supply chain and packaging materials from farm to retail. One of the fastest growing market segments is convenience ready-to-eat (RTE) food products in both hot and cold applications. RTE products often contain fresh-cut fruits and vegetables which are particularly susceptible to deterioration in terms of appearance, texture, color/freshness, and vitamin content. It is estimated that produce alone accounts for over USD 15 billion in retail losses annually (~9% by weight), equating to meeting the government dietary guidelines for more than 5.3 million people per day. As a result, sensitive food products are thoughtfully displayed in retail environments with well-engineered packaging, modified atmospheres, and specific food formulations (additives/processing). Both food waste and the associated mitigation strategies often lead to increased strain on the Earth’s environmental resources. Packaging comprises one of the largest plastic markets and is one of the major contributors to solid waste in landfills and marine environments in the United States. Additionally, food production (fertilizers, processing equipment, farm practices, etc.) accounts for nearly one third of global green house gas emissions. This places a heavy burden on brand owners, manufacturers, and consumers to consider end-of-life practices and purchasing decisions.

Prof. Dr. Greg W. Curtzwiler
Prof. Dr. Maria Corradini
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• sustainability
• packaging
• polymer
• paper
• food
• manufacturing
• production
• life cycle