Background:

Approximately one-third of the food produced globally is either lost or wasted. From both economical and environmental perspectives, sustainable management of food wastes is a global challenge. According to the 2018 Food Waste and Rescue Report (produced by Leket Israel and BDO), the volume of food loss in Israel amounted to 880,000 tons at a value of about NIS 7.9 billion. Decomposition of food waste in landfills produces greenhouse gases as well as other contaminates that leach to soil and water bodies. On the other hand, treating food waste as a resource for renewable energy can be an excellent approach as it has high caloric value. Although some of these waste streams are reused, mainly as animal feed, the majority of food processing wastes is not valorized and should be considered as an alternative feedstock for renewable energy production.