Reducing Food Waste in the Retail Supply Chains by Improving Efficiency of Logistics Operations

Abstract

One of the basic problems of sustainability in modern society is the reduction of waste, particularly when it comes to food. Food waste has negative impacts on different dimensions of sustainability: social (hunger), economic (resource costs), and environmental (resource consumption and waste generation). This paper focuses on waste reduction through improving the inventory management system in the dairy distribution chain by the application of modern information and communication technologies (ICT). The approach is tested and verified in a case study by application of simulation modelling. Two inventory management models are created, and their impact on waste in the distribution part of the supply chain is examined. Model 1 represents the current dairy inventory management system in the supply of retail stores. Model 2 is based on a higher level of information connectivity between participants (RFID product labelling and the appropriate level of information technology), enabling automatic product ordering and changes in inventory management policy. The obtained results confirm that coordinated inventory management, supported by the application of modern ICT, can significantly contribute to the improvement of the sustainability of the food supply chain, and provide an exact quantification of the given contribution in the case of the dairy industry.

Recovery of Unsold Food from Three Agri-Food Industries (SOCOCE, COQUIVOIRE and SCB) for the Feeding of the Abidjan Zoo Animals

“…SOCOCE's unsold deposit is estimated at thirty-six (36) tons of waste per year left at the zoo for the feeding of these animals. These quantities are close to those of several supermarkets [16] [17] [18] [19]. At SCB, the deposit of non-exportable fruits in the packaging centers is estimated at two (02) tons and the fruit waste at one ton.…”

Exploring the application of ICTs in decarbonizing the agriculture supply chain: A literature review and research agenda

“…Technologies, however, could control this situation and enhance the global community with the proper infrastructure. To prevent food waste [ 123 ], created a Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) system that is reconfigurable, low-power, low-cost, and low data rate capable of tracking perishable ASC in real-time. For tracking various issues in ASC [ 102 ], suggested a user-centric IoT framework.…”

RFID-based sensing in smart packaging for food applications: A review

“…Therefore, they proposes an RFID tag with integrated oxygen and carbon dioxide sensors to enable monitoring of vegetable freshness.​ In Avery Dennison's report( studioID, 2021 ), they estimate that utilizing RFID technology could save 20% of food waste. In ( Nikolicic, et al, 2021 ), by simulation modeling, the improvement effect of modern communication technology (such as RFID product tags) on retail supply chain is verified. The simulation results show that dairy product waste in supermarkets and production sites is reduced by 29.41% and 38.52%, respectively.…”