Fruta Feia – ICT in Circular Food Networks: A Scoping Review

This scoping review synthesizes twelve studies (2018–2025) examining Fruta Feia, a Portuguese cooperative that leverages ICT to advance a circular-economy approach to food-waste mitigation. Guided by the Arksey–O’Malley and PRISMA-ScR frameworks, we address four questions: (i) which knowledge domains engage with the case, (ii) what thematic clusters emerge, (iii) which outcomes are documented, and (iv) where research gaps remain. The corpus comprises three quantitative studies (25%), four conceptual essays (33%) and five qualitative investigations (42%). Behavioural perspectives predominate (5 of 12, 42%), while only one study (8%) foregrounds explicit ICT affordances. We identify eight clusters—business-model LCA, consumer attitudes, urban governance, digital platforms, social entrepreneurship, sustainability assessment, freshness ontologies and gender & equity (GE). Key cooperative metrics include 0.14 kgCO2−eq avoided per kilogram of produce and a current diversion rate of approximately 27 t week . Insights are interpreted in light of two recent reviews on serious-game interventions for food-waste reduction. Future research should converge on harmonised metrics, apply longitudinal behaviour tracking, adopt user-centred ICT design, and pilot game-mediated engagement tools.

Transcript

1. 21 August 2025 Fruta Feia – ICT in Circular Food Networks: A Scoping Review Ezequiel Santos¹²³, Cláudia Sevivas¹², Vítor Carvalho³⁴⁵ ¹ IADE – Universidade Europeia ² UNIDCOM/IADE – Research Unit in Design and Communication ³ 2Ai – School of Technology, IPCA ⁴ LASI – Associate Laboratory of Intelligent Systems ⁵ Algoritmi Research Centre, University of Minho
2. Food waste is a global issue with massive environmental impact. According to the food use hierarchy (European Commission JRC, 2024), prevention at source is the first step on the chain to avoid food waste. 2025 IEEE 15th International Conference on Serious Games and Applications for Health De Laurentiis, V.; Casonato, C.; Mancini, L.; García Herrero, L.; Valenzano, A.; Sala, S. Building Evidence on Food Waste Prevention Interventions; Number 137760 in JRC; Publications Office of the European Union: Luxembourg, 2024 Why Food Waste Matters
3. Why Food Waste Matters - Why Food Waste Matters - 1/3 of food produced is wasted (1.05 Gt in 2022) - 8–10% of global greenhouse gas emissions - $1 trillion annual economic loss - 30% of cropland used for food that is never eaten
4. What is Fruta Feia? - Fruta Feia means “Ugly Fruit” - Founded in 2013, Lisbon - Cooperative buys produce rejected for cosmetic defects - 19 distribution hubs, ~10,000 households - Rescues ~27 tons of produce per week - Environmental impact: 0.14 kg CO₂ avoided per kg redistributed
5. Why a Scoping Review? • Research on Fruta Feia is fragmented • Studies come from different fields: sustainability, urban studies, business, design • No unified map of findings • ICT role in the cooperative is underexplored
6. Methods Frameworks: - Arksey–O ’ Malley (5-stage scoping review) - PRISMA-ScR reporting checklist Search: - Databases: Scopus + Web of Science - Period: 2018–2025 - Keywords: “Fruta Feia” Selection: - 25 records identified - 12 peer-reviewed studies included
7. Findings 12 studies (2018–2025) 8 thematic clusters identified: Business-Model LCA, Consumer Attitudes, Urban Governance, Digital Platforms, Social Entrepreneurship, Sustainability Assessment, Freshness Ontologies, Gender & Equity - Behavioural focus dominates (42%) - Only 1 study foregrounds ICT
8. Gaps Metrics are fragmented – Incompatible units, hard to compare studies Lack of longitudinal evidence – Few studies track habits over time ICT and user-centered design underexplored – Cooperative ’ s digital platform rarely studied
9. Future Direction Prior reviews show serious games reduce food waste. Opportunity: integrate light gamified interactions with Fruta Feia Possible mechanics: – Feedback on CO₂ saved – Mini-challenges on “ugly” produce choices – Social badges for repeated participation Next step: test with members vs. non-members
10. Conclusion Fruta Feia is a mature, data-rich case of circular economy Strong evidence of environmental and social benefits: – ~0.14 kg CO₂ avoided per kg rescued – 27 tons rescued weekly – Equity gains for low-income members Research is fragmented: – Metrics not harmonized – Few longitudinal studies – ICT largely overlooked Next step: integrate and test game-mediated engagement tools
11. 21 August 2025 Fruta Feia – ICT in Circular Food Networks: A Scoping Review Questions