Food waste in the retail sector: A survey-based evidence from Central and Eastern Europe

This paper explores the issue of food waste in the Lithuanian retail sector. A questionnaire survey was designed in order to collect the relevant data from both the largest retail chains with stores around the country and companies with small-scale stores in rural areas. The present case is interesting as the literature on Central and Eastern European countries is scarce in the sense of the quantification of food waste. In this paper, the amounts of food waste among different food product categories are discussed and then extrapolated to approximate food waste in retail trade for Lithuania by using sales revenue as a key parameter. The results suggest that food waste in the Lithuanian retail sector amounts to 36.4 thousand tonnes or 13.0 kg per capita per year. Fruits and vegetables account for more than a half (63%), whereas meat (products) come next representing some 9% of food waste. Therefore, these products can be considered as the major targets for valorisation schemes and other measures aimed at mitigation of food waste.     

The value of food waste: An exploratory study on retailing

Retailers are increasingly concerned with the sustainability of their business. Food waste is a major sustainability issue: 90 million tons of food are wasted in the EU every year. The production of much of this waste is directly linked to the food chain operations, included those performed at the retail stage. The literature on food waste has mainly focused so far on the quantification of the total food lost along the supply chain. However, the stage of retail has long been neglected. This paper attempts to partly fill this research gap, with the aim of measuring the extent of food waste in retailing as well as its environmental, social and economic value. To do so, we analyse the results of a food waste recovery project held in an Italian supermarket and, by drawing on the data collected in this case study, we perform an evaluation of the value of the food wasted. The results show that the extent of food waste in retailing is certainly considerable, both in terms of quantity and economic value. Moreover, we found evidence that it may be greatly reduced, with a significant limitation of its environmental impact and, through the mechanism of recovery, it may even generate social benefits. Despite the many limitations of such preliminary research, the results provide useful information for retailers aiming to develop strategies against food waste in the context of improving the sustainability of their business.     

Food Waste and Food Retail Density

ABSTRACT

This paper examines the relationship between food retail density and municipal solid waste. We test for correlations between the volume of solid waste and the number of food-at-home retailers (e.g., grocery stores) and food-away-from-home retailers (e.g., restaurants) at the county level in the state of Mississippi over 2007–2012. Since food scraps comprise the largest share of post-recycling municipal solid waste in the United States, we control for the overall level of economic activity to account for other sources of solid waste, as well as demographic factors, county, and time effects. We find that increases in food-at-home retailer density are negatively correlated with solid waste volume. Conversely, we find that increases in the number of food-away-from-home retailers lead to more waste. While we do not explicitly investigate the mechanisms, we discuss possible avenues such as increased food access in the case of food at home, and increased portion sizes and substitutability in the case of food away from home.     

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.     

Waste Not,Want Not: A Case Study on Food Waste in Restaurants of Lahore,Pakistan

ABSTRACT

Recently, there is growing focus on quantifying food waste problem and analyzing its causes due to an imminent challenge: feed nine billion people by 2050. Among developing countries, we focus on Pakistan which has the sixth largest population in the world and faces serious issues of food insecurity and malnourishment. Astoundingly, despite the gravity of the situation the available research on the issue is almost non-existent. Here, in this first-of-its-kind study for Pakistan we attempt to measure the quantum of food wastage and study its underlying reasons across restaurants in the country’s second largest urban center, Lahore, which is also popularly designated as “the culinary capital of Pakistan”. Segmenting restaurants according to the niche markets they target—as high-end, medium-end, and low-end—and using actual measures of daily wastage, we find overproduction and liability concerns as the prime reasons of excess food preparation and its improper disposal.     

遏制现阶段中国粮食浪费措施的有效性分析

“民以食为天”,粮食安全问题一直是人们关注的焦点。随着人们经济水平的提升和生活质量的提高,餐饮消费日趋火爆,但在餐饮业繁盛的背后是让人痛心的浪费现象。据测算,我国粮食产后仅储藏、运输、加工等环节损失浪费总量达1224．3亿公斤,围绕这一问题,本文分析了我国粮食的基本现状,探讨了我国粮食浪费的主要类型,提出了加大节约粮食的立法力度;强化宣传教育活动;引导消费者摆正消费心态;多环节控制粮食浪费与损失。等遏制粮食浪费的对策。     

Beverage Company:Hotter Competition in Summer

Due to the downturn in global economy, the economic growth rate in China sharply decreased in the first quarter of 2009. However, the fluctuating macro economy won't change the uptrend in food and beverage industry. The ratio between added-values of food industry and agriculture industry in China is 0.22 at present, but the ratio in developed western countries averages 1.2, meaning that there is still great potential and room in Chinese food industry. During the "11th five-year" period, the beverage industry is expected to grow at a rate of 15% or above. In this way, the production in this industry in 2010 will reach 68 million tons.     

How Package Sizes,Fill Amounts,and Unit Costs Influence Product Usage Amounts

ABSTRACT

This study examines the effect of package sizes, unit costs, and fill amounts on product usage amounts with 343 Thai undergraduates. Participants read scenarios and scooped/poured the products into containers. The results show that the effects of package sizes, unit costs, and fill amounts on usage vary by product types. H1 (consumers use a greater product amount when the package size is larger versus smaller) receives clear support in the case of cooking oil and partial support in the case of detergent, floor cleaner, and fish food. H2 (consumers use a greater product amount when the product unit cost is lower versus higher) receives full support in the case of detergent, no support in the case of cooking oil, and partial support in the case of floor cleaner and fish food. H3 (consumers use a greater product amount when the fill is visibly greater versus lesser) does not receive support.     

Seeking China Capital for Investment in Iran Oil Refining

Influenced by the financial crisis, the overall bilateral trade volume between China and lran decreased .by 39% in the first quarter of 2009;however, the volume of Iran＇s exported crude oil to China has increased by 88% compared with the same period last year up to May of 2009, totaling 308.8 million tons. Iran, as the world＇s No.5 crude exporter, replaced Saudi Arabia as China＇s largest oil supplier. At the same time, China, as the world＇s No.2 oil consumer, now imports half of the crude oil it consumes, and has become Iran＇s third largest customer.     

China＇s PPI of Manufactured Goods up 2.4% in July

China＇s producer＇s price index （PPI） for manufactured goods rose by 2.4% in July over the same period of last year, the National Bureau of Statistics said.     

Shipbuilding Industry,Ready to Sail

The shipbuilding industry is known as “the head of comprehensive industries” among all national sectors, due to its wide-linked production line, long production process, and huge investment for each order. single order to build a 10,000-ton vessel can provide 3,000 jobs for shipbuilders and related upstream industries. At present, China has become the world＇s second largest shipbuilder. In 2008, China shipbuilding capacity amounted to 2,881 million tons, 29.5% of the world total; China＇s ship orders accounted for 35.3% of the world total, and 37.7% of new orders.     

The Impact of Eco-Design Packaging on Food Waste Avoidance: A Conceptual Framework

Abstract

Eco-design packaging is a potential tool to reduce food waste. However, the absence of a theoretical basis regarding the relationships between eco-design packaging and consumer food waste behavior obscures the social impact of this packaging. This study assesses research linking eco-design packaging and food waste avoidance from a consumer perspective. The authors analyze 22 articles in top-tier journals, and conclude that consumer perceptions of eco-design packaging could reduce food waste. Results lead to a conceptual model of the mechanism whereby consumer perceptions of eco-design packaging influence food waste avoidance intentions.     

Examining consumer food waste through grocery retailers' customer data: Segments and practical implications

Grocery retailers have a large amount of societally relevant data on food purchases in their databases, which they have traditionally used merely for marketing purposes. However, despite the potential, the data have so far been rarely used in sustainability-related research. This study addresses a key sustainability challenge—the reduction of food waste—by using retailers' customer data and a questionnaire. This paper's purpose is to identify and analyse household food waste segments and discuss their actual purchasing behaviour patterns. By doing so, we also illustrate and exemplify the potential use of customer loyalty card data to address global challenges related to food at the consumer level. The study utilizes an extensive data set of food purchases together with a survey of self-reported reasons for food waste in households. Utilizing cluster analysis, Phase 1 identifies six household segments: no food waste; trust in date labels; safety first; occasional wasters; overpurchasers and overpreparers; and family first. These segments differ in their sociodemographic and purchase profiles. In Phase 2, these segments' purchasing behaviour is examined further by applying tree-based methods. This study contributes to food waste research and studies on sustainable retailing. It also has practical implications for how retailers can facilitate household food waste reduction.     

Creating Value for Customers,Clients, Partners and Society: An Introduction to the Special Issue on Food Waste

ABSTRACT

Roughly one-third of edible food produced in the world is wasted, that is, it is never consumed by humans, despite the persistent demands for nutrition throughout the world. The American Marketing Association defines marketing as “…the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large.” When it comes to food, an increasing number of these key stakeholders question how a global marketing system that routinely wastes a startling fraction of its product comports with “…value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large,” and whether the food marketing system can do more to sustainably convert scarce planetary resources into global nutrition. We introduce the articles in this special issue, which provide an intellectual and empirical basis for exploring how the global marketing system generates a substantial amount of food waste and how the food marketing system can do more to reduce the amount of wasted food.     

Household Food Waste Solutions for Behavioral Economists and Marketers

ABSTRACT

Household food waste originates in three predictable stages – when shopping, storing, and serving. That is, food can be purchased and never prepared, prepared and never served, or served and never eaten. Building on behavioral economics insights, this framework focuses on why consumers waste food in these three stages and how marketers can help consumers reduce food waste and thereby help them get more value from their products by enjoying them more and wasting them less. For cost-conscious consumers, wasting less means saving more. For profit-conscious marketers, wasting less means making more profit.     

Declining Grain Output may Boost Inflation?

According to the announcement released by the National Bureau of Statistics on July 12th,China's annual summer grain output in 2010fell for the first time in 7 years to123.10 million tons,a drop of 0.3%,or 0.39 million tons less than the previous year.     

Helping You to Waste Less? Consumer Acceptance of Food Marketing Offers Targeted to Food-Related Lifestyle Segments of Consumers

ABSTRACT

Consumer households and consumer behavior have been identified as the major cause of food waste in the supply chain. Food marketing might offer products and services that help consumers to reduce their food waste or reduce the consumer-related food waste at the consumer–retailer interface. However, such strategies require consumer acceptance and targeting the right customers. Through an online survey of 800 Danish consumers and a measure of food-related lifestyle, four clusters of consumer segments are identified. The segments are compared with regard to their acceptance of a number of actions consumers can take to reduce food waste or their acceptance of food marketing services they would need to pay for. Acceptance differs with food involvement and the role of the price criterion, as well as with gender, education and age. The findings show how food marketing can help consumers to reduce food waste, through actions targeted to specific segments of consumers characterized by food-related lifestyle differences.     

Great Challenge in Steel Export

In 2008, the export of China steel products experienced a splendid period of fast growing, and then disappointedly followed by fast depression.Until last December,China in 2008 exported steel products of 59.21 million tons,less than the same term in 2007 by 3.48 million tons, declining about 5.6%.     

Do discounted food products end up in the bin? An investigation into the link between deal‐prone shopping behaviour and quantities of household food waste

Household food waste is considered to be the largest share of food waste along the food supply chain. Given that its recoverability is also more challenging compared to food waste in other stages of the chain, most studies on household food waste adopt a pre‐emptive approach by aiming to identify and address consumer beliefs, attitudes and actions that are linked to food waste. In scientific literature, household food waste has often been studied in relation to the habit of purchasing discounted food products (DFP). However, findings have been contradictory. Specifically, while some authors found that deal‐prone consumers are usually of lower income and therefore display a wiser and more attentive attitude towards grocery shopping, other authors reported that the purchase of discounted products was usually linked to compulsive shopping, hence resulting in higher food waste quantities at home. Due to these discrepant findings, a definitive answer on the impact of DFP on household food waste does not currently exist in the literature. This paper analyses the correlation between the purchase of DFP and weekly household food waste quantities. To do so, we examine (a) the results of a food waste diary experiment carried out on a representative sample of 385 households in Italy in February 2017, and (b) the results of a 23‐items Computer Assisted Web Interview survey administered to the same householders, in which shopping habits were investigated. Results revealed no evidence of either a positive or negative relationship between the purchase of DFP and household food waste quantities. Frequency of grocery shopping was the only variable found to have a significant impact on household food waste quantities.