Causes and prevention practices of food waste in fruit and vegetable supply chains: How is Brazil dealing with these issues?

• Published in: Waste management (Elmsford) Vol. 154; pp. 320 - 330
• Main Authors: de Moraes, Camila Colombo, Costa, Flávio Henrique de Oliveira, da Silva, Andrea Lago, César, Aldara da Silva, Delai, Ivete, Pereira, Carla Roberta
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01-12-2022
• Subjects: Case study; Causes; Food loss and waste; Fruit and vegetables; Prevention practices; Supermarket; Supplier; Supply chain; Supply chain; Case study; Food loss and waste; Prevention practices; Supermarket; Causes; Fruit and vegetables; Supplier
• ISSN: 0956-053X; 1879-2456
• DOI: 10.1016/j.wasman.2022.10.021

•Identify the relationship between causes and practices of waste prevention in supermarkets and suppliers.•Consumers demand high aesthetic standards from fruit and vegetables.•Inventory reallocation and minimum amount displayed of F&V reduce waste.•Supermarkets in this study prefer to discard food as there are no legal penalties.•Self-interest of retailers is reinforced through a limited and reactive coordination.
This study aims to identify the main causes of food waste (especially fruit and vegetables) and their relationship with prevention practices at supermarket and supplier levels. To do so, we conducted case studies in four Brazilian supermarket chains and their suppliers. Our findings show that although supermarkets seem to be concerned about avoiding food waste, they mostly focus on internal prevention actions, reflecting the lack of collaboration and information between supermarkets and suppliers. The low investment of supermarkets in actions to prevent food waste is focused only on their internal operations and, despite this, training is inefficient due to the high level of staff turnover and lack of involvement of suppliers in participating in this training. The use of technologies such as packaging, traceability, refrigeration, and transport equipment is insufficient, it increases production costs. A lack of strict legislation in Brazil makes it difficult for supermarkets and suppliers to donate food. Cultural issues specific to Brazil, such as consumer overhandling fruit and vegetables before buying these products, generate a great deal of waste. The paper contributes to the literature by identifying the main root causes of food waste and providing a list of prevention practices that supermarkets and suppliers can benefit from. Managerially, it can help supermarket managers spot the causes of food waste within their operations, and hence change, improve or implement practices and behavior to prevent food waste.