“If only I Could Decide”: Opinions of Food Category Managers on in-Store Food Waste

Clara Cicatiello, Emanuele Blasi, Claudia Giordano, Angelo Martella and Silvio Franco
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Clara Cicatiello: Department for Innovation in Biological, Agro-food and Forest Systems, University of Tuscia, 01100 Viterbo, Italy
Emanuele Blasi: Department for Innovation in Biological, Agro-food and Forest Systems, University of Tuscia, 01100 Viterbo, Italy
Claudia Giordano: Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna, 40127 Bologna, Italy
Angelo Martella: Department of Economy, Engineering, Society and Business, University of Tuscia, 01100 Viterbo, Italy
Silvio Franco: Department of Economy, Engineering, Society and Business, University of Tuscia, 01100 Viterbo, Italy

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 20, 1-19

Abstract: Retail food waste represents a minor fraction of the total amount of food waste produced along the food supply chain (tenfold lower than the quantity of food disposed of by consumers at home). However, the role of retailers is crucial in shaping both the behavior of upstream food chain actors and the preferences of consumers. This paper studies the causes of food waste in retail stores and discusses potential mitigating actions based on the results of nine focus groups held in 2017 with 67 foods category managers. Participants used sticky notes to outline both the causes of in-store food waste and potential actions to address it. Sticky notes reporting 228 causes and 124 actions were collected during the study. Data were analyzed across thematic macro-categories and linked to the responsibility of supply chain actors, including managers at all store management levels. Results revealed that food category managers consider in-store operations (which include their actions and those of their subordinates) to be most responsible for retail food waste. However, when it comes to proposing actions against food waste, they believe that store managers are mainly responsible for the implementation of waste reduction actions. This study suggests that food category managers are key actors to involve in the fight against retail food waste. Greater effort should also be put towards informing and encouraging store managers to take action against food waste in supermarkets.

Keywords: retail food waste; supermarket; focus group; store management; waste prevention; food redistribution (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:20:p:8592-:d:429655

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