In 2020, 2.37 billion people in the world will be unable to access safe and nutritious food, yet every year around one third of the food produced globally goes to waste. The average Hungarian citizen "produces" 65 kg of food waste a year, according to recent research by Nébih. Much of this waste (more than 25 kg) could be avoided with a little care. This part is called food waste, which has decreased by 25% in Hungarian households over the last 5 years. Despite this, it still amounts to 245,000 tonnes per year, enough to feed 450,000 people for a year, with three generous meals a day. This is not only completely at odds with the global humanitarian crisis, but also has a huge impact on climate change. Global warming is a serious problem for our generation, and reducing food waste is critical to reducing carbon emissions and creating a safer, more liveable planet.

Although consumers play a major role in this problem - accounting for around 53% of food waste in Europe and 43% in the US - food waste is a problem that affects us all, and occurs at all stages of the food chain, from agriculture to transport to the retail outlets where consumers buy their food. According to the UN Environment Programme, 13% of the world's food waste comes from the retail sector, highlighting that while retailers are certainly taking steps to improve this figure, there is still much to be done.

The causes of food waste in the retail sector can be traced back to many factors - from seasonal fluctuations in product supply, changes in consumer demand, inappropriate sizing or packaging, to visual defects in food.  While this can have serious environmental and social consequences, shopkeepers are also increasingly aware of the financial consequences of wasted food. 

How can retailers waste less and sell more?Supermarkets are under increasing pressure to reduce food waste. Retailers tend to rely on time-consuming visual checks to detect the expiry date of perishable products and manage replenishment needs, with less than half using automated systems to monitor stock levels, although the core of the problem is a fundamental inefficiency in managing stock expiry dates.

Checkpoint Systems recently developed and launched RFreshID®, a solution that enables retailers to manage inventory as efficiently as possible and plan exactly when replenishment is needed. Customers using the solution have already noticed a 60% reduction in food wastage, while the time spent manually checking stock has been reduced by up to 78%. They have also seen improvements in stock accuracy, reaching up to 99.99% at the warehouse and 99% at the point of sale. By drastically shortening stock assessment times, reducing waste and accurately managing expiry dates, retailers can enjoy increased sales thanks to increased product availability.

High-performance RFID tags can be automatically applied during the manufacturing process, meaning retailers receive pre-labeled products that can be quickly checked. Store personnel have intuitive handheld devices that quickly and accurately count and locate each item, and work with RFreshID reporting software to provide real-time data that includes replenishment, expiration, markdown, scrap reports, stock to be replenished and order products. Finally, RFreshID™ Waste provides insight into the number of expired products and helps manage fresh food waste by automatically removing the product from inventory records.
 The shelf life of fresh produce presents a unique challenge for food retailers. As RFID technology becomes increasingly available to retailers, by deploying innovative RFID solutions in the food sector, retailers will not only see significant improvements in stock rotation and sales, but will also see a decisive reduction in current levels of food waste. As a result, they can enjoy increased sales and ultimately profits.

https://checkpointsystems.com/blog/managing-the-perennial-problem-of-fresh-food-waste/

https://zerowasteeurope.eu/

https://www.retail-week.com/

https://portal.nebih.gov.hu/-/sulyos-kerdes-te-tudod-mennyit-pazarolsz-