have you ever wondered what happens to food that is not sold on the super of the side of your house? What is certain is that, though it is not created, it is possible that in this establishment are throwing to the garbage a lower percentage of products in your home. In fact, the distribution sector is responsible for 5% of the waste compared to 42% that was recorded in the households. Inside the supermarkets, the greater part of the food that will spoil and cannot be "recycled" are fresh , with a scrap rate from 2.05% in this category, according to the conclusions of the report "Management of waste in the food distribution" prepared by Nielsen and Checkpoint in collaboration with Aecoc. And you may also have some guilt in this matter, as the distribution companies participants reveal that the greatest loss (75%) occurs during the handling of products by consumers", while 33% are attributed to deficiencies in transport to the points of sale.
"Our sector bases its profitability on efficiency and cost control. And wastage is a cost that benefits no one" (García Magarzo, Asedas)in Addition, in the aforementioned study shows an improvement of the management in this field. Thus, e l 67% of the chains considered that the waste generated by its activity is lower or much lower than three years ago , and 83% of the companies of great distribution already have a strategy for dealing with products that are not sold. In particular, 12% of the surplus is allocated to the donation, for a 29% that is recovered or recycled and 59% ends up in the hands of an authorised waste manager, that is to say, in the trash. This percentage of foods can not be harnessed because the strings "are serious difficulties for the donation of products such as meat and fish , who require optimal conditions of transport and storage to avoid risks of food safety" as concluded in the report.
A good logistics management is, therefore, critical to prevent food from being exploited in their entirety. "In the supermarkets is doing a lot of work in this regard and the main problem is that it is encuentrna in the middle between the consumer and the manufacturing company. Eat brown if the client does not want the product because it has arrived defective," stresses David Esteller, responsible for the Project, Aecoc against the Waste of Food. "The super is going in the right direction, but you have to see things one at a time. Is not the same as the logistics for transporting an apple or a pear to that of a slice of hake," says Esteller.
"The super is going in the right direction, but you have to see things one at a time. Is not the same as the logistics for transporting an apple or a pear to that of a slice of hake", David Esteller (Aecoc)in order To break down these barriers, from the association of supermarkets, Asedas are demanding more government aid. "The Administration should review the taxation, to encourage the donation, for example, provided that the donation does not have to withstand the VAT of the product . You should also support food banks, to improve their infrastructure, both of cold, such as logistics, and approximate the points of collection to the stores. The rules should allow, also, to use reverse logistics to remove products in a more efficient way, and the banks can go to our stores. This would reduce the cost and increase the chances of donating," says Ignacio García Magarzo, managing director of the association, which includes Dia or Mercadona, among others.
Meanwhile, the companies of big distribution have been put to work with the resources they have available. "Supermarkets are developing s systems more efficient to adjust the order to the actual sale -with new technologies-, the improvement of the operations in the store, that enable you to reduce the shrinkage -as the promotions end of the day or of the useful life of the product - and, above all, increased donations. Today 95% of our companies donate products to food banks," recalls García Magarzo.
last minute Deals
The super also opt for the food that is not sold by the launch of last minute offers . "More and more supermarkets are turning to get these products close to the expiry date by offering a lower price and apply a color label that them difference of the rest , for example, is doing much with cabinets of products that are kept in cold," explains David Esteller, responsible for the Project, Aecoc against the Waste of Food. "For example, in Mercadona are lessened products with yellow stickers to highlight that a certain price has declined in that time", adds Esteller.
In particular, from the supermarket directed by Juan Roig indicate that they have implemented "various strategies that contribute to reducing waste", especially the donation. "These surpluses, each day more and more tight, are donated for years at different institutions next to the products that are not suitable for the sale, by small imperfections in the packaging, but yes they are in perfect conditions to be consumed with total confidence," sources say Mercadona.
"Mercadona is cheapen the products with yellow stickers to highlight that a certain price has fallen at this time" (David Esteller, Aecoc)however, there is still some way to go and a lot to innovate to find new solutions to decrease that percentage that super considered "inevitable waste" . For example, in industrial processes with the oranges that are thrown out after making juices. There is another waste that occurs when you break down the food, for example, in the fisheries when it is calculated with the wrong orders in front of what is ultimately sold. "In part occurs by breakage of containers, or manufacturing defects unforeseen circumstances (power outage, or a flood). But we are also working to reduce it to the maximum. Our sector bases its profitability on efficiency and cost control. And wastage is a cost that benefits no one", points out García Magarzo.
Applications against the waste
With the aim of alleviating the despercio food, there arises the application Too good to go down, which connects consumers with restaurants and supermarkets for the first can newly acquired everything that has been in the kitchen or in the linear when just the day, but at a discounted price. "Through our app offers a solution to provide an outlet for the fruit and vegetables that has not been sold at the end of the day, but that it remains optimal to consume despite being next to the expiration date," explains Adrián Hernández, a specialist in Large-scale Distribution in the To good to go.
The original value of the lots to the surprise of the restaurants and supermarkets attached to the application amounts to 12 € , but sold half for 3,99 euros. "Here everyone wins, the establishments and the customers, because the first output with a product that was going to cabar in the trash, and second, because you will acquire quality food at a lower price," adds Hernandez. "In addition, the establishment gives them an extra flow of users and allows them to get an economic return for their surplus. Consumers increasingly seek to have more impact with their actions of purchase," says Hernandez.
Date Of Update: 03 October 2019, 19:00
