Impact of Food Waste on Society, Specifically at Retail and Foodservice Levels in Developed and Developing Countries
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. An Overview of the Overall Burden of Food Loss and Waste
3. The Causes of Food Waste at the Retail and Hospitality Levels
At the Retail Level
- (1)
- Pre-storing food waste induced by retail: At this stage, retailers have a significant influence on quality standards, particularly for fresh produce, and individual marketing standards play a crucial role in determining losses at the global supplier level. Imperfect products typically do not make it to the retail shelves of international or national chains. When products fail to meet the specifications outlined by the purchasing department of these retail chains, they are promptly rejected on-site. Return transportation costs often render it impractical to send them back. Instead, these products are frequently repurposed for uses such as animal feed, biogas production, or soil amendment. Additionally, take-back agreements and rejection policies sometimes place the burden of food waste on suppliers, allowing retailers to dispose of imperfect products without bearing the full cost. Additionally, the contracts for agreed amounts of delivered produce may contribute to systematic overproduction in agriculture as farmers seek to mitigate the risk of penalties for the inability to deliver food due to poor harvests.
- (2)
- The in-store food waste stage: This stage does not account for food waste as the surplus may have already been repurposed for donation to social organizations or utilized as animal feed. However, it still constitutes an economic loss for retailers; operational issues leading to waste include an expired shelf life, visual defects, and overstocking due to inaccurate sales predictions.
- (3)
- Post-store food waste induced by retail through in-store promotions like BOGOF (buy one, get one free): This stage contributes to household-level surpluses and subsequent waste when products reach their expiry dates.
4. How Much Waste Arises from Retail and Foodservice Operations in Developing Countries?
5. Food Waste Mitigation Strategies
5.1. Balancing Sustainability and Food Safety
5.2. Economic Incentives
5.3. Community-Led Solutions to Tackle Food Waste
5.4. Innovative Strategies to Reduce Waste
6. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Food Waste Reduction Practices | Food Waste Causes |
---|---|
Collaboration |
|
Adoption of food donation practices |
|
Price and promotion policies |
|
Lean supply practices/sequencing |
|
Communication with supply chain members |
|
Traceability (in both transportation and supply chains) |
|
Inventory policy |
|
Secondary channels/use of surplus by other links |
|
Coordination mechanisms |
|
Flexibility in quality standards |
|
Waste reduction-oriented operational systems |
|
Management autonomy |
|
Technology and sensors for food quality control |
|
Application of thermal control in packaging and/or facilities |
|
Training for waste reduction/prevention |
|
Employee awareness of waste |
|
More accurate labeling information (expiry dates) |
|
Packaging development and optimization |
|
Law flexibility without compromising consumer health |
|
More precise demand forecast |
|
Demand management/history technology |
|
Priority Grade | Food Waste Management | Methods | Food Safety Risks | Management of Risks |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Prevention | The forecasting of demand, planning of resources and manufacturing, coordination of distribution, and planning of shopping. | No risks. | No risks. |
2 | Donation | Edible food stuffs are donated to poor people both from companies and households. Tax deduction could be a good incentive. | Food safety rules and expiry dates have to be respected. Illegal trafficking (e.g., re-labeling or via catering) should be prevented. | The organization of donations is needed for effective distribution. Organizations must be prepared in the field of food safety, and food safety authorities should take part if necessary. |
3 | Valorization | Animal feed, industrial recycling, and composting. | Elevated food safety risks: illegal trafficking and zoonotic diseases. | Materials suitable for valorization have to be categorized, and material flow should be controlled. The basic rules of risk prevention have to be explained to the broad public. |
4 | Waste treatment | The safe disposal of waste to landfills or incineration. This stage has to be avoided unless special conditions (e.g., contamination with a highly contagious pathogen) are present | Foodstuffs at this stage must be prevented from being reintroduced to the food chain. | The control of the waste management process and facilities. |
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Todd, E.C.D.; Faour-Klingbeil, D. Impact of Food Waste on Society, Specifically at Retail and Foodservice Levels in Developed and Developing Countries. Foods 2024, 13, 2098. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13132098
Todd ECD, Faour-Klingbeil D. Impact of Food Waste on Society, Specifically at Retail and Foodservice Levels in Developed and Developing Countries. Foods. 2024; 13(13):2098. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13132098
Chicago/Turabian StyleTodd, Ewen Cameron David, and Dima Faour-Klingbeil. 2024. "Impact of Food Waste on Society, Specifically at Retail and Foodservice Levels in Developed and Developing Countries" Foods 13, no. 13: 2098. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13132098
APA StyleTodd, E. C. D., & Faour-Klingbeil, D. (2024). Impact of Food Waste on Society, Specifically at Retail and Foodservice Levels in Developed and Developing Countries. Foods, 13(13), 2098. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13132098