A supermarket PSS strategy to reduce domestic food waste. Jessica Bonasera Scuola del Design, Politecnico di Milano
food supply chain, from initial agricultural production down to the final household consumption generating negative environmental, economic and social impacts [2]. What it evidences, is that in Europe and in the most developed countries of the world, the waste of food is strictly linked to the distribution and final consumption, in fact the European average household food waste is about 179 kg per person each year [3]. So this is a phenomenon that we have to deal with and if each of us, as final user, starts to take into consideration the problem and to develop a more sustainable approach, we can start to make the change happen.
ABSTRACT Analyzing the current context, there are global problems that ask for change, and consequently for transformation: one of those is the food waste issue. In Europe and in most developed countries, the waste of food is strictly linked to the final consumption and the causes are linked to the lack of awareness and knowledge about the problem, the nonexistence of a plan about what you will eat, what you have at home and what you will need to buy, inadequate ways to storage and preservation of food. In the food supply chain, food retail is the last step closer to the final consumption and the place where people come in contact with food. Since domestic food waste starts from shopping and finishes with people’s consumption, can the supermarket educate and guide consumers towards the reduction of domestic food waste by making people understand the problem and then suggesting practices and ways to start to reduce it? In a future perspective, can the supermarket guide the clients towards a more informed and aware consumption in order to move consumers towards a more sustainable life? A supermarket PSS strategy, made by six different services, is proposed to reduce domestic food waste.
Categories and Subject Descriptors Product Service System Design; Social Innovation
Keywords Food Waste; Sustainability; Education; Final Users, Supermarket. Figure 1. Food waste problem in the world and in Europe
1. INTRODUCTION: AIMS AND BACKGROUND
2. DESCRIPTION
The twenty-first century is influenced by economic, cultural and technological changes that are giving people a different role. They have become active in solving social problems and they have understood the need to change the way of doing things and to develop sustainable solutions if we want to build, together a better future [1]. It’s necessary to start a process of transformation: first starting from the people up to the contamination existing in all social structures in which they live, act and share.
In the supply chain food, food retail is the last step closer to the final consumption and the place where people can come in contact with the food; and since the domestic food waste problem starts from the shopping and finishes with the people’s consumption, the solution can be raised from the food retail. Who can make the transformation possible is the supermarket with a mix of services, initiatives and campaigns that will make the consumers aware about the food waste problem and will give them the possibility to develop more sustainable attitude and everyday lifestyles to reduce domestic food waste. Since the three main causes of
As regards food waste issue, roughly one-third of the edible parts of food produced for human consumption, gets lost or wasted: it is about 1.3 billion tons per year. Food is wasted throughout the
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domestic food waste, as the European Commission states, are the incorrect planning of the shopping, the wrong food preservation and the erroneous quantity of meal portion [4], those will be the starting point to think about possible solutions to develop the services thanks to which the supermarket can start the transformation of its customers.
The results expected from this PSS project are the increase of food waste awareness, by having arisen the problem and having made people know the issue, and also having given people the means to reduce domestic food waste, with the services that have helped the clients to reach a positive results. So, raising people awareness about the problem and people’s attention regarding domestic food waste, can be a strategy to contribute in changing people during daily practices and lifestyles towards more sustainable ones concerning food waste issue.
Figure 2. Food retail influence on people about the domestic food waste.
3. APPLICATION AND RESULTS The project is an educational Product Service System promoted by the supermarket whose aim is primarily to raise awareness in his customers about food waste. Then, with six different initiatives and services, it aims to reduce the domestic one by making people understand the problem and then suggesting practices and ways to start reducing it. 1) Food waste information is the first service thanks to which the clients can start to be aware about food waste issue in general and particularly the domestic one. (posters, manual, handbook, flyers, advertisement, campaigns) 2)The Nutritionist consultancy is a solution to raise awareness about what is the real food requirement of each person and to suggest a proper diet that will help customers in a more correct planning of the shopping and in a more appropriate meal portions.
Figure 3. The six supermarket services in relation with the main domestic food waste problem
3)The Alert service food close to expiration is a solution to remember which products are close to the expiry in order to avoid of throwing away food products when are not more edible. The alert can occur by website, smartphone application or sms thanks to GS1 Databar Expanded Stacked ,a new bar code that will be mandatory from 2014 and will contain the expiration date.
4. CONCLUDING REMARKS Supermarket PSS’ aim is to raise awareness about food waste issue and to develop an educational approach in order to start the transformation towards more sustainable practices and lifestyles linked to the food problem. But going a little bit further in the time, a new opportunity can be the birth of a new role for the supermarket inside the society. If until now the supermarket has been a food retailer, the distribution part of the food supply chain, in the future, it could have a management role where all fields and sectors related to food will converge in this new core; nutrition field, food education, food production, food distribution, food preparation and food socialization as the new component of the supermarket of the future.
4) The Special offer:2x1 is a solution that offer two different products paying just one. One of those products is close to the expiration date and it is associated to another one creating a recipe. (for example a mozzarella close to the expiration with two tomatoes and some basil leaves) 5)The Home delivery delayed shopping is a service that allows clients to delay the shopping in order to have delivered at home fresh food after some days. This solution will help the users in the shopping planning, in the food preservation and in the portions planning.
Acknowledgments:
6) Aperitivo dell’avanzo is an event thought to create a socializing, and edu-entertainment moment between poeple, by cooking meals together with chefs that will teach how to use leftovers and food scraps and cook food reducing waste.
This work is the result of personal research for my Master project thesis and I would like to thank Sergio Costa for the support and for appreciating the project.
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[3] Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development, “How to avoid food wastage: strategies for a more efficient food chain in the EU”, European Communities, 2011 http://ec.europa.eu/environment/eussd/pdf/bio_foodwaste_rep ort.pdf
5. REFERENCES
[4] Monier V., Mudgal S., “Food Waste in the EU: a study by the European Commission.” Final report - Preparatory study on food waste, European Commission - DG Environment Unit, , 2010
[1] Manzini E. , Politecnico di Milano – DIS, Desis network.
“Design and social innovation. A catalyst of sustainable changes“, Draft 1 March, 2011 http://www.desisnetwork.org [2] AA.VV., “Global food losses and food waste”, International Congress SAVE FOOD! SIK and FAO, at Interpack2011 Düsseldorf, Germany , 2011 http://www.fao.org/docrep/014/mb060e/mb060e00.pdf
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