What the study found
Redistributing leftover classic lasagna through a digital application had the lowest environmental impacts among the scenarios studied. The paper also reports that the preparation of classic lasagna itself creates non-negligible impacts, especially because of ingredients such as Bolognese sauce and Parmigiano Reggiano.
Why the authors say this matters
The authors conclude that preventing classic lasagna leftovers from being wasted is important. They say the findings have practical implications for awareness of food production impacts across the full life cycle and for preserving food value by avoiding waste.
What the researchers tested
The researchers performed a life cycle assessment (LCA), which is a method for estimating environmental impacts across a product's full life cycle, on classic lasagna prepared by food shops in Bologna, Northern Italy. They compared four scenarios for leftover lasagna management: landfilling, composting, redistribution through the digital application of the circular start-up Squiseat, and an ideal scenario with no leftover lasagna.
What worked and what didn't
Redistribution was the best-performing scenario in all investigated impact categories, including global warming, reported as 6.24 kg CO2 eq./kg of lasagna. The abstract states that its impacts were also lower than the ideal scenario, which it attributes to the assumption of more sustainable means of transport. Global warming was not the only relevant category; normalized results showed it was only one of several important impact categories.
What to keep in mind
The available summary does not describe detailed study limitations. The comparison is based on a specific food item, a specific city context, and the scenarios and assumptions described in the abstract, including the transport assumption for redistribution.
Key points
- Redistributing leftover lasagna through Squiseat had the lowest impacts across all studied categories.
- Classic lasagna production itself generated non-negligible environmental impacts, especially from Bolognese sauce and Parmigiano Reggiano.
- The comparison included landfilling, composting, redistribution, and an ideal no-leftover scenario.
- Global warming impact for the redistribution scenario was reported as 6.24 kg CO2 eq./kg of lasagna.
- The authors say the findings support efforts to prevent food waste and preserve food value.
Disclosure
- Research title:
- Redistributing leftover lasagna had the lowest environmental impacts
- Authors:
- Patrizia Ghisellini, Yanxin Liu, Ivana Quinto, Renato Passaro, Sérgio Ulgiati
- Institutions:
- Parthenope University of Naples, Capital University of Economics and Business, Beijing Normal University
- Publication date:
- 2026-04-05
- OpenAlex record:
- View
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