Take-back agreements in the perspective of food waste generation at the supplier-retailer interface

Eriksson, Mattias; Ghosh, Ranjan; Mattsson, Lisa; Ismatov, Alisher

doi:10.1016/j.resconrec.2017.02.006

Cited by 96 publications

(55 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…Ref. [39] confirm a trend towards a shifting of food losses from the food retail sector to other stages of the value chain. They further claim that the retail sector also has little interest to reduce returns in order to diminish food losses at farm level.…”

Section: Greater Tolerances In Prevailing High-quality Standardsmentioning

confidence: 81%

Approaches to Reduce Food Losses in German Fruit and Vegetable Production

2019

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Food losses occur in all agricultural value chains, but are especially high in the fruit and vegetable sector. This study quantifies losses of selected fruits (strawberries, apples) and vegetables (lettuce, carrots), identifies the main reasons for food losses, and assesses effective measures for the reduction of these losses. Data were collected in structured interviews with value chain actors from production to food retail and validated in regional expert workshops. Results show that in average years, about 25% of the analysed vegetables are lost at farm level. The range of fruit losses differs widely, from 15% to 20% for strawberries and only 6% to 16% for apples. Weather is a major factor for crop losses, since it can strongly affect product appearance and hence marketability in the food retail sector. There is a lack of alternative market channels for products, which do not meet the high-quality standards for fresh products in the retail sector. Effective measures to reduce food losses are protected cultivation in greenhouses or under hail nets, continuous cooling systems, improved packaging and training of staff. More cooperation and coordination between producers, wholesalers and retailers could also increase the share of marketable products.

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Section: Greater Tolerances In Prevailing High-quality Standardsmentioning

confidence: 81%

Approaches to Reduce Food Losses in German Fruit and Vegetable Production

2019

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“…This means that the shop does not have to pay for unsold bread and that bakeries collect this bread at no cost to the shop. As shown in a previous study [35], this provides little incentive for the retail shops to reduce waste and may be an important contributor to retail bread waste. In many cases, however, it is the bakeries that have control; they know the stock levels (in real time) in many of the shops through their automated till systems and are therefore able to decide how much bread (and which type) should be re-stocked.…”

Section: Potential Measures To Reduce Environmental Impactmentioning

confidence: 83%

Effects of Packaging and Food Waste Prevention by Consumers on the Environmental Impact of Production and Consumption of Bread in Norway

2018

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Bread is a staple food in Norway, with a yearly per capita consumption of 52 kg. It is an important source of energy, dietary fibre and protein as well as certain minerals and vitamins. Previous studies have shown that bread has a relatively low environmental impact compared with other foods. Food waste studies, however, have shown that bread and other baked goods have a high wastage rate in Norway. On the basis of lower Norwegian wheat yields, it is therefore expected that the environmental impact of bread could be higher than in other European countries. The purpose of this study was to assess the environmental impact of bread from cradle to grave, identify environmental hotspots, examine the role of packaging in bread waste and identify possible remediation measures with a particular focus on the post-farm value chain. The results showed that for every kilogram of bread consumed, the global warming potential was 0.99 kg CO2-eq, the eutrophication potential was 7.2 g PO4-eq, the acidification potential was 8.4 g SO2-eq and the cumulative energy demand was 18 MJ. The principal uncertainty within the calculation was the use of database data for the 21 ingredients. For example, the effect of soil mineralisation, which could give significant CO2 and N2O emissions, was not included because figures have only been quantified for a few ingredients and there is no international agreement on the methodology. The primary hotspot was the production of the ingredients, principally at the agricultural stage, while bread waste took the second place. The highest potential for the reduction of post-farm environmental impact lies in reducing product wastage at the retail and consumer stages. Consumers already employ strategies to reduce wastage, such as using extra packaging and freezing and toasting bread. This study shows that other consumer packaging solutions can keep the bread fresh for longer, thus reducing wastage and the need for the abovementioned consumer strategies. Nevertheless, other researches in this subject have shown that consumer preferences and behaviours play a significant role in the creation of bread waste, and this should therefore be taken into account when planning reduction measures.

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“…This quantification practice is rather basic, presumably because the regions were not acting on political targets but on their own initiative when initiating these measurements. The waste data compilation performed in hospitals in Sweden is incomplete and limited compared with that in other professional sectors, e.g., the Swedish retail and industrial sectors, where data have been collected daily for years [23][24][25]. The retail sector has the advantage that its data collection is simplified through advanced support systems, and through analyzing data and information gathered during weekly meetings, facilitating food waste reduction.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantities and Quantification Methodologies of Food Waste in Swedish Hospitals

et al. 2020

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To move towards a sustainable food system, we cannot continue to waste substantial amounts of the food produced. This is especially true for later stages in the food supply chain, where most sub-processes consume resources in vain when food is wasted. Hospitals are located at the end of the food supply chain and the sector has high levels of food waste. This study investigated food waste quantification practices in Swedish hospitals, examined whether a questionnaire is an appropriate methodology for such mapping, and compiled data for the sector in order to determine the amount of food waste and its composition. A questionnaire was sent to all 21 regional authorities, formerly known as county councils, responsible for hospitals in Sweden. The questionnaire responses were supplemented with food waste records from three regions that organize the catering in a total of 20 hospitals. The results showed that it is common practice in most hospitals to quantify food waste, with quantification focusing on lunch and dinner in relation to the number of guests served. It was also clear that waste quantification practices have been established for years, and in the majority of the hospitals studied. The data revealed that, in comparison with other sectors, food waste was still high, 111 g guest−1 meal−1, consisting of 42% plate waste, 36% serving waste, and 22% kitchen waste. However, there was great variation between hospitals, which, in combination with well-established, standardized waste quantification routines, meaning that this sector has strong potential to spread best practices and improve overall performance in reducing food waste generation.

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Take-back agreements in the perspective of food waste generation at the supplier-retailer interface

Cited by 96 publications

References 35 publications

Approaches to Reduce Food Losses in German Fruit and Vegetable Production

Approaches to Reduce Food Losses in German Fruit and Vegetable Production

Effects of Packaging and Food Waste Prevention by Consumers on the Environmental Impact of Production and Consumption of Bread in Norway

Quantities and Quantification Methodologies of Food Waste in Swedish Hospitals

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