The waste of perishable food is the result of overstocking quantity of foods at a retail level, consumer behavior and poor quality control and product handling. The level of losses is different from one step of the supply chain to another, depending on different factors: level of economic development, social behaviors and cultural practices. The possibility of recovering such products can be considered an efficient measure to reduce such a phenomenon, improve retail food chain performance and ameliorate the conditions of undernourished people.
In the food industry, there exist some norms associated with high aesthetics requirements for food appearance. When these requirements are no longer validated, it is said that the products have reached the end of the shelf life. Products with a maximal shelf life of less than two weeks are considered to be perishable foods. At this final state the food it is rejected. Such products are usually poorly attractive for the consumer of the target market but could be redistributed to social organizations instead of being thrown away.
For sustainable development in the retail sector of the food industry, it is fundamental to establish methods/ways/actions to maximize as much as possible the usage of food. Being a global problem, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations studied the impact of food waste on carbon emission, water scarcity, land occupation and biodiversity, correlating the effects with environmental degradation on livelihoods, health and conflicts over natural resources.
The United Nations launched in 2012 a programme “Zero Hunger Challenge” which aims to reach by the year 2030 zero loss or waste of food by: “ minimizing food losses during production, storage and transport, and waste of food by retailers and consumers; empowering consumer choice; commitments by producers, retailers and consumers within all nations, achieving progress through financial incentives, collective pledges, locally-relevant technologies and change behavior”.
The Zero Hunger objective manifested by five elements from within the Sustainable Development Goals can end hunger, eliminate all forms of malnutrition, and establish inclusive and sustainable food systems.
