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SUSTAINABLE INTERVENTIONS TO MANAGE RETAIL FOOD WASTE: A SCOPING REVIEW
The article addresses food waste (FW) in the retail sector and its impact on the economy, sustainability, food security, and climate. It presents a scoping review that identifies and categorizes 43 studies on interventions to reduce retail FW, sourced from four electronic databases.
The review found 132 interventions across 41 countries, primarily in Europe (73.2%), with supermarkets implementing 86.4% of these initiatives, targeting both consumers (50.8%) and their operations (46.2%). Interventions were classified into seven categories using a food waste hierarchy framework, focusing on preventive measures such as awareness campaigns, price reductions, operational optimizations, legal regulations, and food repurposing through donations. These strategies are promising and warrant further exploration, with about half quantifying their environmental, social, and economic impacts.
The findings emphasize the need for increased research investment in the global South.