Practices of food waste reduction in retailing : the case of Belgian food retailers

Abstract

In a world going through major transitions, the food supply chain has become more and more complex and unsustainable. One of its externalities is food waste, a topic that has gained significant attention and concerns because of its strong negative moral connotations – mostly due to its environmental, economic and social impacts. Food loss and waste takes place throughout the entire food chain. However, it appears that grocery retailers are in a unique pivotal position to contribute to food waste prevention and reduction. The aim of this master thesis is to apprehend the causes of food loss and waste throughout the supply chain and to identify the actions and practices for grocery retailers to tackle food waste. More specifically, a case study is developed to analyse their implementation from the point of view of two major food retailing groups in Belgium: Carrefour Belgium and Delhaize. This study also explores the drivers and barriers experienced by retailers to undertake actions to reduce food waste. To this end, a qualitative research was conducted using secondary data and interviews of key-managers of each group. This research concluded that both case retailers were found to be particularly observant and active in the areas of demand planning and order management, pricing and promotional strategies, packaging and redistribution to people in need. However, it was perceived that there were areas for improvement, such as the transparency in reporting food waste, sensitization of personnel through training sessions, involvement in campaigns and in-store information for consumer awareness. Moreover, practices put in place by retailers seem to be motivated to a large extent by profit, favourable legal frameworks and a sense of care for the people in need, whereas the hurdles were mainly related to customers’ expectations and staff training.