Food Loss: How Can Retailers Tackle It?

Food waste is a significant issue, costing retailers hundreds of billions annually. To reduce food loss, retailers can partner with integrated logistics partners to manage their long value chain.

Fremont, CA: In the past few years, there has been an increase in awareness about food waste. There have been numerous articles and debates on how, every year, a tremendous amount of food is wasted on the consumer’s end. Still, there have been fewer arguments on how there has been a massive amount of food loss at the upstream level of the supply chain before the food reaches the consumer’s shelves and refrigerators. This loss not only affects the environment but also hinders sustainability goals. Retailers can reduce food loss by partnering with integrated logistics partners to manage their long value chain.

Remote Management with Digital Tools

Through digital tools, merchants can track the location of their cargo from any part of the world throughout its journey. There has been an invention of a digital tool through which shippers can track the conditions of their refrigerated goods via a remote container management system. This allows the exporters to manage the goods by keeping an eye on the inside of the container and managing the atmospheric conditions. It enables them to deliver the goods in fresh condition, earning higher profits and greater sustainability.

Planning Through Supply Chain Visibility

One indispensable way for retailers to minimize food waste is to be informed about the stock movement. This naked visibility would allow them to plan storage and sales, ensuring that they will have suitable arrangements for storage when the goods arrive.

Adroitness in the Supply Chain for Rerouting

To maintain a competitive edge, businesses must quickly adjust and reroute supply networks to respond to unexpected disruptions like natural disasters, political unrest, or customer demand changes. This agility reduces downtime and ensures timely delivery of goods by managing alternate routes, transportation modes, and inventory levels. This adaptability enhances consumer satisfaction and helps in risk management.

Tools for demand Planning

By partnering with an integrated logistics partner, retailers can anticipate seasonal demand peaks and troughs ensuring proper stocking of stores, reducing spoilage, and reducing food loss. It helps send inventory to suitable locations at the correct times. This addresses overstock and warehousing issues and reducing the risk of perishable goods remaining on shelves for extended periods.