Food waste reduction is the systematic effort to minimise the loss of edible product at every stage of the supply chain, from field to consumer, and is a growing requirement in sustainability reporting and buyer codes of conduct.
In trade practice
Processing techniques such as IQF freezing, hot-air drying and freeze-drying extend shelf life and reduce spoilage losses, while accurate best-before dating prevents premature disposal at retail. Suppliers are increasingly asked to report waste metrics, including field rejection rates, processing trim losses and returned goods volumes, as part of annual sustainability disclosures. Buyers may specify maximum acceptable waste percentages in processing contracts or require a documented waste management plan as a condition of approval. Mislabelled or incorrectly stored product that triggers early disposal is a common avoidable source of waste.
In a specification
A supplier sustainability questionnaire or code of conduct may require the declaration of total food waste generated per tonne of output, broken down by supply chain stage, and the measures in place to reduce it.