Abstract
The objective of this paper is to evaluate the food waste generated in one Polish supermarket in terms of its mass, financial value, and wasted caloric value, and to specify ways in which to manage food that can help contribute to reducing the phenomenon of food waste in commercial facilities. The research material was a list of unsold food items in one supermarket over two weeks. The evaluation shows that in one supermarket, approximately 3.3 tonnes of food was wasted over two weeks, with a total value of €5500. The groups of products with the highest percentage share in the structure of waste were fruits and vegetables, as well as meat, cold meats, and fish. The estimated caloric value of dairy products wasted over two weeks amounts to approximately 243.8 kcal. The estimated mass of dairy products appropriated for social purposes would feed from 72 to 174 persons a day (depending on the daily reference value). As various types of food products for social purposes may be sourced from the retail sector, it constitutes an important link in the chain “from the field to the table”, from which food should be redistributed to people in need.
Highlights
A sustainable food system is defined as a system which ensures food and nutrition security in a way which does not endanger the food and nutrition security of future generations [1].One of 17 new development goals for the years 2015–2030 is ensuring sustainable consumption and production
The objective of this paper is to evaluate food waste generated in a Polish supermarket in terms of its mass, financial value, and wasted caloric value
In 2016, the estimated share of the total value of sales realized by supermarkets and hypermarkets in retail sales in stores and at service stations accounted for 25.0% of the total [34]
Summary
One of 17 new development goals (known as the Sustainable Development Goals) for the years 2015–2030 is ensuring sustainable consumption and production. It involves halving food waste at the retail and consumer levels and food losses at the production and post-harvest stages [2]. Due to an increasing global population, society faces a greater challenge for sustainable food production, quality, distribution, and food safety in the food supply chain. By 2050, an additional 2.4 billion people will exist on the planet This is equal to an increase of around 30%. Due to increasing per capita incomes and changing diets, global food production will need to grow by 70–100% in order to ensure global food security [5]
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