Retail Food Waste Research Articles

Consumer willingness to pay (WTP) for beef based on color and price discounts

Discoloration of beef products leads retailers to offer discounts or discard beef products, as consumers tend to reject a brownish beef color. This practice contributes to retail food waste and inefficient resource allocation linked to beef production. The objective of this study was to investigate U.S. consumer preferences for beef color and price discounts. After an initial test for screen acuity regarding color perception using a condensed form the ishihara test, data on meat purchasing behavior as well as demographic information was collected for all participants. An additional part of the study undertook a hypothetical discrete choice experiment using digital photos of beef steaks with different meat color, price, and discount labels in retail packaging to examine consumer preferences, willingness to pay, and the effects of discount pricing. Results of a Mixed Logit Model based on choice data show that beef shoppers perceive, see, and prefer color nearly linearly across days of retail display. Consumers' willingness to pay was negative for 4, 7 and 9 days of retail display relative to day zero and decreased with an increase in discoloration. Results indicate that beef shoppers would have to be financially compensated for choosing a steak that was discolored after 9 days of retail display. However, male beef buyers exhibit weaker preferences for color and could be a target segment for promoting discolored beef products to reduce meat waste.

Comparison of Different Pretreatment Processes Envisaging the Potential Use of Food Waste as Microalgae Substrate.

A significant fraction of the food produced worldwide is currently lost or wasted throughout the supply chain, squandering natural and economic resources. Food waste valorization will be an important necessity in the coming years. This work investigates the ability of food waste to serve as a viable nutritional substrate for the heterotrophic growth of Chlorella vulgaris. The impact of different pretreatments on the elemental composition and microbial contamination of seven retail food waste mixtures was evaluated. Among the pretreatment methods applied to the food waste formulations, autoclaving was able to eliminate all microbial contamination and increase the availability of reducing sugars by 30%. Ohmic heating was also able to eliminate most of the contaminations in the food wastes in shorter time periods than autoclave. However, it has reduced the availability of reducing sugars, making it less preferable for microalgae heterotrophic cultivation. The direct utilization of food waste containing essential nutrients from fruits, vegetables, dairy and bakery products, and meat on the heterotrophic growth of microalgae allowed a biomass concentration of 2.2 × 108 cells·mL-1, being the culture able to consume more than 42% of the reducing sugars present in the substrate, thus demonstrating the economic and environmental potential of these wastes.

Don't waste that free lettuce! Impact of BOGOF promotions on retail profit and food waste

Buy‐one‐get‐one‐free (BOGOF), a ubiquitous sales promotion scheme by which consumers get two items for the price of one, encourages consumers to buy and waste food. An alternative promotional scheme is one where consumers receive a coupon for a second item available for free at a later time. Our work is motivated by British supermarkets which, facing criticism from lawmakers for running BOGOF promotions on perishables, started a “BOGOF Later” campaign with the claim that it would reduce the amount of waste. Food waste is indeed a very pressing issue, which has not yet been explored in connection to sales promotions. We compare the impact of these promotion schemes on a retailer's profit as well as on the amount of product wasted at the retail and household levels. We consider two possible applications: unexpected high inventory of a fresh product with a short shelflife and excess leftover inventory for an item at the end of its season or product life. We propose a two‐period newsvendor model which captures the sales‐boosting effect of promotions, the postpromotion sales drop due to satiation, the coupon‐redemption behavior, and the increased consumer wastage rate from BOGOF promotions. We obtain analytical comparisons of order quantity, profit, and waste across the different promotion schemes and use numerical experiments to generate further insights. We find that, in general, BOGOF promotions are profitable ways to liquidate inventory. In many instances, the increase in waste at the consumers' homes is offset by the decrease in waste at the retail store. As a result, BOGOF promotions often constitute “win‐win propositions” by simultaneously increasing the retailer's profit and decreasing total waste. Overall, our results paint a more favorable picture of the BOGOF promotion scheme than commonly perceived and suggest that its environmental criticism emanates from a too narrow and too consumer‐centric view of the waste problem.

Identifying the leading retailer-based food waste causes in different perishable fast-moving consumer goods' categories: application of the F-LBWA methodology.

Waste in fast-moving consumer goods (FMCGs) is a tremendous economic and ethical issue for retailers and the rest of society. Due to methodological weaknesses, previous studies are inadequate in prioritizing fundamental causes and drivers of retail food waste (RFW) in this context. This research explores the peculiar causes and drivers of RFW concerning different perishable FMCG categories. This research employs the fuzzy level-based weight assessment (F-LBWA) methodology to provide a robust and effective decision-making tool to retailers responsible for preventing waste in their stores. This research categorizes the causes and drivers into different product categories giving insight into the reasons and drivers that need more attention than others for each product category. The findings reveal that inappropriate buying/delivery is the most significant cause of waste for fruit and vegetables, dairy products, fresh meat, fish and seafood, and baked products, whereas improper storage is the most critical cause of waste for frozen food. The present work ensures practical implications for developing product category-specific waste management policies to improve retailers' efficiency, competitiveness, and profitability. For a developing country like Turkey, the applicable insights of this research can also serve all supply chain members and policymakers to prevent food waste through partnership.

Drivers of Circular Food Economies in Mississippi, USA

Background of the Study : In the 21st century, adopting the principles of the circular economy to minimize waste and pollution has become prominent in several industries, including the food industry. The United Nation’s sustainable development goal to reduce retail and consumer food waste by half by the year 2030 on a global level, has prompted many nations to deplore proactive measures to eliminate food waste. By eliminating food waste through a circular economy model, there are numerous benefits to be gained for businesses and the environments in which we live. This research will provide insights into how transitioning into a circular food economy will be beneficial for the state of Mississippi, the USA, and the world at large. Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore the current level of awareness and advocated the benefits of transitioning to a circular food economy in Mississippi, USA. Design/methodology/approach : A questionnaire survey of 120 construction professionals was used to assess the current level of awareness and advocated the benefits of transitioning to a circular food economy in Mississippi, USA. The questionnaire comprised three main sections each exploring different parts of the research question. Findings: The key findings of the statistical analysis indicated that there is low awareness of the circular food economy. This study fills the gap in the existing knowledge by addressing concerns over circular food economies to improve confidence among practitioners. Research limitations/implications: Although the data used in this paper was from educationally qualified individuals, the research is limited in some ways in that it does not cover all the professionals in the food industry. Nevertheless, all the professionals who responded to the questionnaire have an up-to-date level of awareness of the circular food economy. Practical and Social implications: A noticeable proponent of the circular food economy is that it promotes the overall health of people by providing environmental and economic benefits. Originality/value : This paper contributes with new outlooks aimed at assessing the current level of awareness, usage, and advocated benefits of the circular food economy and adds to the limited empirical studies on circular economy to governments, companies, and decision-makers. Keywords: Awareness, Benefits, Circular, Economy, Food, Mississippi. DOI: 10.7176/JESD/13-22-02 Publication date: November 30 th 2022

Prioritizing causes and drivers of retail food waste through a fuzzy Dombi-Bonferroni operators-based best-worst approach: an emerging economy perspective.

The food waste hierarchy offers that prevention of the waste is the best solution to deal with this complex issue. Herein, to take a preventive action against food waste, this paper attempts to prioritize the key causes and drivers of retail food waste employing Dombi-Bonferroni operators-based fuzzy best-worst (DB-FBWM) framework. Drawing upon stakeholder theory and contingency theory, causes of retail food waste are categorized into six aspects and their 23 drivers. The results revealed that the "customer-driven" cause is found as the foremost aspect of retail food waste, whereas the "undesirable in-store customer behaviors" is the most vital driver. Identifying the causes and drivers of retail food waste through a reliable model can advance theory and allow building partnership among food supply chain stakeholders for sustainable waste management. The sensitivity and comparison analysis are further performed to confirm the solidity of the approach conducted.

Food, excess, wastage and waste: An ethnography of the practices of framing food products in the Finnish retail sector

The reduction of consumer and retail food waste is crucial for the transition towards a circular economy to take place. Based on an ethnography conducted in a supermarket in Finland, the article examines the hands-on practices of producing and preventing food waste in the retail sector, with a focus on the practices of framing and valuing products. We pay special attention to the process of ridding, which our analysis shows to be integral to selling food products and thus creating value. The findings shed light on how different modes of valuation, both monetary and non-monetary, related to the food products sometimes clash with each other in the everyday operations of the retail business, creating challenges for circular practices. Moreover, the analysis also brings to light how the supermarket practices do not only produce food or waste, but the categories of surplus food are much more varied and subtle. We claim that understanding the multiplicity of these categories, their enactment and mutual relations, and the different modes of valuation related to them is crucial for understanding how and why food waste is generated in the retail sector. Our analysis shows that rather than being only a managerial problem in the context of the circular economy, food waste is always enacted and unmade situationally, through constant hands-on work that also entails leakage and spillover.

Metabolomic Markers of Storage Temperature and Time in Pasteurized Milk.

The current date labeling system for pasteurized milk is based on the predicted growth of spoilage microorganisms, but inherent inaccuracies and the inability to account for environmental factors (e.g., temperature fluctuations) contribute to household and retail food waste. Improved shelf-life estimation can be achieved by monitoring milk quality in real-time. In this study, we identify and quantify metabolites changing over storage temperature and time, the main factors affecting milk stability. Pasteurized 2% fat milk was stored at 4, 10, 15, and 20 °C. Metabolite change was analyzed using untargeted and targeted nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) metabolomics approaches. Several metabolites correlated significantly to storage time and temperature. Citric acid decreased linearly over time at a temperature-dependent rate. Ethanol, formic acid, acetic acid, lactic acid, and succinic acid increased non-linearly after an initial period of minimal increase. Butyric acid exhibited strong inverse temperature dependencies. This study provides the first analysis of the effect of time and temperature on the concentration of key metabolites during milk storage. Candidate molecules for shelf-life monitoring have been identified, and the results improve our understanding of molecular changes during milk storage. These results will inform the development of real-time shelf-life indicators for milk, helping to reduce milk waste.

“If only I Could Decide”: Opinions of Food Category Managers on in-Store Food Waste

Retail food waste represents a minor fraction of the total amount of food waste produced along the food supply chain (tenfold lower than the quantity of food disposed of by consumers at home). However, the role of retailers is crucial in shaping both the behavior of upstream food chain actors and the preferences of consumers. This paper studies the causes of food waste in retail stores and discusses potential mitigating actions based on the results of nine focus groups held in 2017 with 67 foods category managers. Participants used sticky notes to outline both the causes of in-store food waste and potential actions to address it. Sticky notes reporting 228 causes and 124 actions were collected during the study. Data were analyzed across thematic macro-categories and linked to the responsibility of supply chain actors, including managers at all store management levels. Results revealed that food category managers consider in-store operations (which include their actions and those of their subordinates) to be most responsible for retail food waste. However, when it comes to proposing actions against food waste, they believe that store managers are mainly responsible for the implementation of waste reduction actions. This study suggests that food category managers are key actors to involve in the fight against retail food waste. Greater effort should also be put towards informing and encouraging store managers to take action against food waste in supermarkets.

Retail price discrimination and food waste

Abstract We examine a food retailer’s incentive to use a minimum quality standard as part of a quality-based price-discrimination strategy and show how price discrimination can result in a substantial level of retail food waste. Using data from a major US food retailer, we estimate a structural model of retail price discrimination and conduct a series of counter-factual experiments to demonstrate that observed retail prices are consistent with quality-based price discrimination in the retail market. Our findings indicate that quality standards on fresh produce can explain a substantial proportion ($7.5\%$) of food waste by retailers in the US.

A mixed-methods study of retail food waste in New Zealand

Little is known about the amount of food wasted in the retail sector. This study aimed to quantify retail food waste in New Zealand (NZ) and identify key drivers for food waste reduction, using a mixed-methods, observational study design that consisted of three parts: onsite food waste audits undertaken in 16 selected stores (complete data from 11 stores); semi-structured interviews with key retail staff from each store; and obtaining existing data from retailers. Retail food waste in NZ was estimated at 13 kg/capita/year for all food waste and diverted product (i.e. all food not sold or utilised at a retail level), which included 5 kg/capita/year designated as food waste (i.e. food directed to landfill, protein reprocessing and compost), with 3 kg/capita/year of this sent to landfill. Fresh vegetables (27%), bakery (23%), meat and fish (19%) and fresh fruit (17%) contributed the most to discarded product. The motivators for encouraging food waste reduction were: concern for the environment; making profit; caring for the community; and doing the ‘right’ thing. The barriers to food waste reduction were: training and educating staff; food safety concerns; quality standards; availability and capacity of waste diversion avenues; and lack of available resources. Audit data and food waste data recorded by retailers were similar. NZ has a number of policies and practices that successfully divert retail food waste away from landfill, in particular, retailers have established relationships with various groups that use their waste as a resource including protein reprocessors, local farmers, and food rescue charities.

Disclosure and assessment of unrecorded food waste at retail stores

Reducing food waste at stores is a huge challenge for retailers, that are called to improve the efficiency of their operations in order to reduce the quantity of food that goes discarded. Some studies suggest that part of the food products removed from sale are not recorded as waste, but the quantity and features of this unrecorded food waste is largely unknown. The underestimation of retail food waste data hinders the effectiveness of actions against food waste at the store level, as managers may build their decisions on unreliable information. In this study we directly measure the waste of 9 food categories in a panel of 13 supermarkets in Italy. An improved recording practice was applied during the 12 months of the study, allowing to detect all the food wasted, including what usually remains unrecorded. By comparing the data gathered during the study with those recorded at the same stores prior the application of the improved recording routine, meaningful quantities of unrecorded food waste emerge for many food categories, especially fruits and vegetables, packed cold cuts and groceries. The rate of food waste in value raises from 1.00% to 1.35% on comparable periods, as a result of the implementation of the improved recording routine. However, the rate of food waste in value decreases during the study period, suggesting that a more accurate recording procedure may sensitize the staff over the issue of food waste, thus preventing to some extent its generation. A new model of food waste recording is therefore proposed, with a meaningful potential to improve the quality of the data available to store managers and, at the same time, to reduce the economic losses due to in-store food waste.

Food waste in an alternative food network – A case-study

This paper investigates food waste dynamics in a retail alternative food network (AFN). We provide a first contribution to assess food waste in an AFN in terms of 1) food waste levels, 2) food waste causes, and 3) food waste management practices (i.e. food waste reduction and handling). We use an exploratory case-study to investigate food waste in a Polish AFN. We place the results of this case-study in the context of conventional retail, by reviewing retail food waste literature. Quantitative results show that food waste levels at the AFN are very low compared to conventional retail literature. Qualitative results show that food waste causes at the AFN are partly shared with conventional retail, and partly specific to the AFN. Possible explanations for low food waste are provided by the food waste management strategies, in which food waste prevention is a key component of the AFN practices.Two other possible explanations are the degree of flexibility and the main drivers of the organization. Conventional retail is ruled by top-down policies, focusing on profit-maximization. The AFN we studied is small-scale, independently organized, and non-profit. Its main driver is to balance financial viability, accessibility and ethical guidelines. Looking beyond profit allows for a high concern with food waste, while the autonomy of the organization gives its members flexibility to develop ways to prevent and handle food waste. Future research can build on our approach of combining food waste estimations with qualitative investigation of food waste causes and management practices. Food waste dynamics should be further investigated in other (retail) AFNs, in small-scale conventional and organic food retail, and in small and large-scale cooperative supermarkets.

Food waste generation and prevention measures in retail sector: a comparative study

Food waste in the supply chain is a big issue because it causes an unnecessary environmental impact, costs to the sector and consumers, as well as costs for waste treatment, and it is a missed opportunity to feed people suffering hunger. Calculations show that approximately 30% of all world food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted at some stage of the food supply chain, with the retail sector being responsible for approximately 5% of losses in developed countries. Several studies on food waste and loses have been performed in the international also in some national perspectives. These studies mostly give an overall food chain perspective and do not provide detailed information about food waste in specific stages or locations. Retail sector is one of the actors of the supply chain where there is still a gap in data and information regarding the state of the problem of food waste, and especially in Central and Eastern European region. The number of currently conducted studies regarding amounts of retail food waste, its types, causes and methods of waste minization is limited or hindered by poor data resolution, because most of the retailers do not publicize the information about the quantities of wastes and their treatment. Therefore a better understanding of the food wastage within retail stores is necessary in order to assess actual scale of the problem and to determine efficient waste prevention measures. This work aims on food losses assessment in Lithuanian retail sector, as well as discussion and comparison of the root causes of food waste generation with the neighbouring countries in North Europe, in order to facilitate food waste prevention measures. Semi-structured questionnaire survey was chosen as data collection method as it allowed for collection of comprehensive and comparable information on food losses in a relatively short time. Data were collected at 21 retail stores, which belong to 3 biggest retail chains in Lithuania. For the comparative study available literature on food waste assessment and prevention practices of Nordic countries was analyzed. The data from interviews reveal quantities of food waste generated in Lithuanian retail sector, the composition of the food waste, as well as sector’s attitude to the problem and willingness to contribute to solving it. Differences in food waste in different retail chains, as well as variations depending on season of the year were evaluated as well. A comparative study with the neighbouring countries highlighted similarities and differences in waste generation, pointed to the potential prevention measures as well as learning opportunities for food waste minimizationDOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.erem.73.4.19941

Retail store operations and food waste

This paper focuses on the issue of food waste from a retail and store operations perspective, with the aim to identify the root causes of food waste occurrence at a retail store level across different store formats and product categories. To achieve this, we first conducted case studies, including semi-structured interviews with store managers. This exploratory research involved 28 cases across dominant retail store formats (i.e., super- and hypermarkets and discount and convenience stores). The results along with secondary data research underlie a process simulation modeling approach that quantifies the impact of selected root causes of food waste by considering the dependencies between them. Finally, we conduct semi-structured interviews with 12 food waste experts to confirm findings of the case studies and simulations and to delineate the practical implications of our research and the related solutions. Our findings show that the root causes of food waste are related to undesirable customer behavior and erratic demand, inefficient store operations and replenishment policies, and elevated product (quality) requirements of both retail organizations and customers. Root causes and their impacts differ across store formats and product categories. Furthermore, the interdependencies between the root causes in the different spheres of responsibility and influence (i.e., customers, the store, and the parent organization) are evident. The paper contributes to the literature by providing detailed understanding of retail operations related to the occurrence of food waste across store formats at a product-category level and revealing pathways for preventing and reducing the occurrence of food waste at a retail store level.

The dark side of retail food waste: Evidences from in-store data

This study tackles the quantification of in-store food waste, with a specific focus on the distinction between the edible and inedible fraction. A meta-analysis of the studies dealing with retail food waste quantification is provided to identify the results obtained so far. Then, the mass and value of food waste produced in 2015 at one retail store in Italy is analysed, basing on the store's food waste records and on the reports of a redistribution initiative involving the edible fraction of the food waste produced. In one year, 70.6tons of food (for a value of nearly 170,000 €) are wasted, mostly bread and fresh fruit and vegetables. The edible fraction accounts for 35% of the total food waste, mostly from fresh meat and bakery departments. Results also disclose a significant amount of unrecorded food waste, confirming that many gaps exist in the food waste recording procedure at retail stores.

Complementing the Dominant Social Paradigm with Sustainability

The dominant social paradigm (DSP) defines the basic belief structures and practices of marketplace actors and is manifested in existing exchange structures. Sustainability – a so-called megatrend – challenges the DSP by questioning its underlying assumptions, resulting in tensions or conflicts for different marketplace actors. This study examines a specific case of an alternative market arrangement that bridges tensions between the DSP and environmental concerns. Ethnography in the context of retail food waste disposition reveals tensions experienced by several marketplace actors – namely consumers, retail firms and regulators – and investigates an alternative market arrangement that alleviates those tensions by connecting the actors and their practices in a creative new way. We identify complementarity as the underlying mechanism of connection and resolution. Compared to previously identified alternative market arrangements that are either oppositional or parallel to the DSP, complementarity opens another path toward greater environmental sustainability through market-level solutions.

Converting retail food waste into by-product

By-product synergy (BPS) is a form of joint production that uses the waste stream from one (primary) process as useful input into another (secondary) process. The synergy is derived from avoiding waste disposal cost in the primary process and virgin raw material cost in the secondary process. BPS increases profit and can have a positive environmental impact by reducing waste. We investigate how BPS can mitigate food waste in a retail grocer setting, and how it interacts with other mechanisms for reducing waste (i.e., waste disposal fee and tax credit for food donation). In the retail setting, waste is generated because of demand uncertainty – the retailer stocks inventory without knowing demand and excess units become waste. We derive the retailer’s optimal order policy under BPS and the order policy for a more practical hybrid implementation of BPS, and compare these BPS implementations to the benchmark case where the retailer only sells fresh produce (“Fresh Only”). We show that the benefit of BPS increases in primary demand uncertainty, but decreases in secondary demand uncertainty. We find that BPS can reduce waste when secondary demand uncertainty and the net tax benefit from donation are low, but can increase waste if increased secondary demand uncertainty drives up safety stock. Our results suggest that under BPS, the threshold net tax benefit required to induce donation increases because BPS competes with donation for excess primary units. We find that the tax credit and disposal fee are substitute mechanisms for inducing food donation.

The Structure of Grocery Retail Markets and Food Waste

We examine the impact of grocery-store density and grocery-market concentration on food waste, using a two-echelon perishable-inventory model. Fresh-grocery stores, differentiated by their locations (upstream tier), maintain inventories and compete by setting prices and/or service levels. Households (downstream tier) choose amongst stores and make grocery-replenishment decisions. The expiring inventory at each tier is the food waste. We find that the effects on household and store food waste are opposite, yet household waste dominates store waste and thus determines the overall effects. Higher store density changes household purchase behavior because of closer stores, and due to different equilibrium prices/service-levels that ensue in denser markets. We characterize conditions under which these effects reduce/increase food waste. Numerical calibration shows that, for all plausible cases, increasing store density reduces food waste, achieving a 6%-14% waste reduction for a 10% reduction in the distance between stores, while making groceries more affordable. Reducing market concentration, on the other hand, might increase food waste substantially. That is, from a policy perspective, promoting laws and programs that encourage the opening of new grocery stores can greatly decrease food waste, whereas stiffer anti-trust laws and enforcement might increase food waste.

Life cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) impacts of a novel process for converting food waste to ethanol and co-products

Waste-to-ethanol conversion is a promising technology to provide renewable transportation fuel while mitigating feedstock risks and land use conflicts. It also has the potential to reduce environmental impacts from waste management such as greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that contribute to climate change. This paper analyzes the life cycle GHG emissions associated with a novel process for the conversion of food processing waste into ethanol (EtOH) and the co-products of compost and animal feed. Data are based on a pilot plant co-fermenting retail food waste with a sugary industrial wastewater, using a simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) process at room temperature with a grinding pretreatment. The process produced 295L EtOH/dry t feedstock. Lifecycle GHG emissions associated with the ethanol production process were 1458gCO2e/L EtOH. When the impact of avoided landfill emissions from diverting food waste to use as feedstock are considered, the process results in net negative GHG emissions and approximately 500% improvement relative to corn ethanol or gasoline production. This finding illustrates how feedstock and alternative waste disposal options have important implications in life cycle GHG results for waste-to-energy pathways.