Surplus food recovery and donation in Italy: the upstream process

Abstract

Purpose – This paper offers quantitative evidence on how surplus food, i.e. safe food that is not sold to the intended customers, is generated and recovered within Italian manufacturing and retail firms. The purpose of this paper is to enlighten the process through which the food supply chain firms come to donate surplus food-to-food banks. Design/methodology/approach – Surplus food and recoverability were defined as the key terms of the problem. In total, 12 exploratory case studies were conducted to segment the manufacturing and retail sectors, to assess recoverability in each segment, and to establish the protocols for descriptive case studies. A multiple case-study approach was used and 83 firms were investigated. Findings – The primary source of surplus food is shown to result from products reaching the internal sell-by date, i.e. the date by which manufacturers and warehouses must supply perishable products. Donation to food banks is found to be a relevant management practice in the ambient and chilled manufacturing segments and at retail distribution centres, while frozen food companies and retail stores are found to rely nearly exclusively on waste disposal. Research limitations/implications – The degree to which our findings are specific to Italy is an issue to investigate. Future research should target surplus food management in farming and food services, and assess the cost effectiveness of alternative management channels. Practical implications – The paper highlights the changes required to increase the amount of food recovered by food banks. It also summarises the steps for establishing a structured procedure for managing surplus food within firms. Originality/value – The paper offers quantitative evidence on a relatively untapped yet socially relevant topic, i.e. the upstream process of food recovery and donation.

Hazard analysis approaches for certain small retail establishments and food donations: second scientific opinion

“…food with labelling errors, food not meeting retailer specifications, etc.). This issue was also identified in other similar studies (Winne, ; Garrone et al., ). Moreover, the donated foods reflect sales or lack of sales in the supermarket and the foods donated may not match the need of those relying on food donation.…”

Value-Chain Wide Food Waste Management: A Systematic Literature Review

“…Five main reasons for the generation of surplus food in the food manufacturing industry are: products that have reached the internal sellby date, product non-compliance with commercial standards, non-compliance of product packing with required standards, product refusals and return of unsold products. Besides the surplus food generated in the food manufacturing industry, four main reasons for the generation of surplus food in the food retail sector are: it has reached the sell-by date, product packing and product itself do not comply with required standards, and product returns [16].…”

Charity Starts … at Work? Conceptual Foundations for Research with Businesses that Donate to Food Redistribution Organisations

“…Garrone et al [33] defines "surplus food" as edible food products that, for various reasons, are not consumed by the intended customers or people for whom they were produced, processed, distributed, purchased or served. In contrast, "food waste" represents the part of surplus food that is not recovered for human consumption, feeding animals, or for producing goods or energy.…”