On 7 September 2026 at 10:00, at the Latvian University Academic Centre for Natural Sciences, Faculty of Science and Technology, Jelgavas Street 1, Room 702, Riga, at the open meeting of the Joint Promotion Council of the University of Latvia for Earth Sciences, Physical Geography and Environmental Sciences, and Human and Economic Geography, Raimonda Soloha will defend her doctoral thesis “Methodological Framework for Quantifying Generated Food Waste: Adaptation for the Food Production and Household Stages” for the award of the Doctor of Science (Ph.D.) degree in Social Sciences, in the field of Human and Economic Geography, subfield Environmental Governance.
Supervisor: Dr.sc.ing. Elīna Dāce
Reviewers:
Assoc. Prof. Jānis Brizga, University of Latvia, Riga, Latvia
Assoc. Prof. Lea Kubíčková, Mendel University in Brno, Czech Republic
Senior Researcher Claudia Giordano, Natural Resources Institute Finland, Helsinki, Finland
Annotation:
The doctoral thesis aims to develop a methodological framework for generated food waste quantification in Latvia drawing on common food waste quantification frameworks and research practices. The thesis has the following tasks (1) to conduct analysis of generated food waste quantification research across the agri-food chain with a focus on research methodology and associated limitations, and to examine its compliance with the EU legal framework; (2) to provide mass-based calculation and definitional framework for estimating food processing and manufacturing industry by-products using unified conversion coefficients across eight Northern European countries; (3) to identify links between food management practices and food waste in Latvian households; (4) to develop a methodology and definitional framework for food waste quantification in Latvian households, and apply it to the household stage of the food supply chain.
Keywords: food loss and waste, food industry by-products, quantification, food supply chain, methodology, households, harmonisation.