In the developed economy of the United States, approximately 80 percent of food loss takes place at the retail and consumer levels\u00a0of the supply chain. Losses at the farm, transportation and processing levels account for the remaining 20 percent.<\/p>\n
Some food losses at the retail level of the supply chain are unavoidable, such as damaged packaging, spillages, and spoilage due to\u00a0technical malfunctions. Other culprits of loss, however, may be addressed by the corporation in an effort to reduce retail\u00a0food waste<\/a>.<\/p>\n As with retailers in other industries, grocers manage inventory based on expected consumer demand. When demand is not as great\u00a0as anticipated, the retailer finds it has excess merchandise. However, unlike other products, fresh meat, seafood, produce and dairy\u00a0products have an extremely limited shelf life. While retail outlets may be able to store non-perishable overstock, excess perishable\u00a0items tend to become waste.<\/p>\n Consumer perceptions and buying habits shape the way retailers operate. Retailers typically keep produce bins and meat counters\u00a0fully stocked to avoid the negative consumer connotations associated with scarcity in the food supply. Perceptions of the quality of the\u00a0food on display can differ depending on the volume of product represented. For example, a consumer may be more likely to purchase\u00a0a piece of fruit from a display showcasing dozens of apples to chose from, rathe than a display with only a few apples. Of course,\u00a0excess food that is not sold becomes waste.<\/p>\n Additionally, American consumers have become accustomed to purchasing perfectly shaped, blemish-free foods. With a plethora of\u00a0choices in fully-stocked produce bins, consumers bypass fruits and vegetables of odd shapes and sizes, or those with natural\u00a0blemishes. Though perfectly safe and healthy to eat, imperfect produce is much less likely to sell. These imperfect pieces of fruit or\u00a0bunches of vegetables may be loaded straight from the pallet to the trash.<\/p>\n An estimated $900 million worth of inventory was pulled from U.S. shelves due to date code expiration in 2001. Much of this loss\u00a0can be attributed to the misinterpretation of \u201csell by\u201d and \u201cbest by\u201d dates on food labels as expiration dates. With the public perception\u00a0that food is not safe for consumption after the date printed by the manufacturer, retailers often pull products from the shelves as sell\u00a0by dates are looming. This practice may protect retailers from negative press associated with selling \u201cexpired food.\u201d<\/p>\n While changes in public perception of food fit for purchase and changes in retailer ordering and stocking procedures are needed to\u00a0ensure long-term change in the creation of food waste, these approaches take time.\u00a0By implementing food recycling programs in all grocery outlets, retailers can begin the process of creating real and lasting\u00a0change in their operations. Quest’s\u00a0comprehensive food recycling program can arm individual retail outlets and nation-wide corporations\u00a0with the insight and reporting needed to manage and track food waste.<\/p>\n Start fighting food waste in your retail locations. Contact Quest today.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n For more information on retail food waste, download our latest white paper.<\/p>\nOverstocking<\/h3>\n
Consumer Preferences<\/h3>\n
Sell by Dates<\/h3>\n
A Turnkey Solution<\/h3>\n
Retail Food Waste in the U.S. White Paper<\/h3>\n