Food Loss at Retail Stores in Lebanon: A Pilot Assessment Study

Abstract

While the level of Food Losses (FL) in the retail sector is relatively low compared to others, there is a rising focus on FL reduction at the retail level because practices and strategies on this level exert a significant influence on the generation of Food Loss and Waste (FLW) on both the upstream and downstream stages of the food chain. This paper explores Retail Food Loss (RFL) in Lebanon. After a literature review, a survey was designed to collect the relevant data from various sizes of retail stores. Eighty-one retail stores participated in the survey. The data collected were statistically analyzed. The results show that these retailers make purchase decisions based on consumer demand, promotions and discounts offered by supplier, and quantities of those products still available in store, with consumer demand accounting for 38,59%, promotions/discounts for 25% and remaining quantities for 22.83% of purchase decisions. Retailers identify numerous causes of RFL related to the diverse types of food commodities, however, the expiry date and the loss of freshness are seen as the main ones. To prevent losses, retailers engage in different practices e.g., 92,59% apply discounts to food products nearing their expiry dates and 90.12% of the retailers surveyed consider these strategies to be efficient. The 79% of retailers consider their losses to be low, and 14% estimate them as average. None of the respondents consider their RFL to be high, and 7% find it challenging to provide an accurate estimation of the quantities involved. Based on the findings, it is obvious that the financial crisis in Lebanon is affecting RFL with discounted prices playing a role in encouraging consumers to buy food products that might otherwise be wasted. There appears to be a deficiency in consumer comprehension pertaining to food labeling. In parallel, the estimations made by retailers concerning the magnitude of retail losses may be prone to inaccuracies and thus misleading. Consequently, increasing awareness about food labeling and handling as well as recording quantities of RFL along with their causes are crucial to begin with.

Keywords: food waste and loss; retail; consumers, food system

DOI: 10.7176/JEES/14-4-03

Publication date: June 30th 2024