Abstract
Food loss and waste is yet to be widely understood as much more than a practical problem. There is a particular lack of research about food loss in primary production. This thesis investigates the relationships of systemic drivers to food loss and waste in primary food production through a case study of the kiwifruit industry in Aotearoa New Zealand, using Gille’s (2007, 2012) ‘waste regime theory’ as an organising concept (Gille 2007, 2012). Qualitative data from 14 semi-structured interviews and analysis of 11 documents are unpacked through thematic analysis to explore the production, politics and representation of food loss and waste, and to demonstrate the ways in which these factors interact to enact a ‘food waste regime’. The findings identify two distinct types of food loss differentiated by their perceived economic value to the industry. Namely, ‘supply chain driven’ and ‘market driven’ food loss. The diverse ways these types of losses are understood and treated by the industry demonstrates the following three concepts: the complex social and material relationships that comprise food loss and waste; the co-constitutive relationship between waste and value; and the role of visibility of food loss and waste both within and outside the industry. This study helps to render visible the systemic nature of food loss and waste in primary production, recognising which reveals new possibilities for problem solving beyond technical and organisational fixes. It provides particular opportunity in the Aotearoa New Zealand context, where a large proportion of the economy and land use is dedicated to food production.