Understanding food waste management practices in the grocery retail sector in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal

Abstract

Food waste remains a global concern. This is attributed to its negative impacts on food security, water resources and climate change, to name a few. Throughout the food supply chain, food waste figures are generally based on estimates. The grocery retail sector is in a critical position to influence waste reduction and to contribute towards achieving the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goal to halve the amount of global food waste by 2030. The purpose of this study was to understand how food waste is managed in the retail industry using a sample of three grocery retail stores in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal as a case study. This was achieved by assessing food waste types, determining food waste management in relation to waste- and food recovery hierarchies; exploring drivers behind food wastage; and lastly exploring motivators and opportunities for food wastage prevention and reduction in the grocery retail sector. Quantitative and qualitative research methods were used to collect and analyze data from three grocery retail stores belonging to one retail group. Data collection included semi-structured interviews, secondary data in the form of archived waste monitoring and measurement records and on-site food waste assessment and characterization. Nvivo 12 and Microsoft 2010, were used to analyze data. Similar to the results of other studies, this research has found that fruit and vegetables were the most wasted food items, followed by perishable products (such as dairy) and in-store bakery items. This study identified food waste drivers which include date labelling, food safety standards, shelf life, handling, quality standards, promotions and lack of diversion avenues. Store managers were exclusively motivated by financial gain to reduce food waste. Opportunities identified to prevent and reduce food waste include training and awareness, improved demand planning and forecasting, food redistribution and landfill ban legislation, and infrastructure investments. These findings are not unique to this study but relates to findings from studies conducted globally.