Workshop on Food Waste Reduction
Straubing, September 23-24, 2024
Food Waste: A Global Issue Requiring Urgent Action
Every year, about one-third of the food produced globally is discarded, leading to severe ecological, economic, and social consequences. Food waste not only puts pressure on valuable resources like water and energy but also significantly contributes to climate change. Did you know that around 8% of global CO₂ emissions could be reduced by preventing food waste? Reducing waste is a critical step towards a more sustainable and equitable future.
First Workshop on Food Waste Reduction
Last week, we gathered at TUM Campus Straubing for an international workshop on food waste reduction, hosted by (TUM Campus Straubing), with co-hosts Dorothee Honhon (The University of Texas at Dallas) and Arzum Akkas (University of Massachusetts Amherst). Leading scientists and retailers discussed the latest research and practical strategies for tackling this global issue.
Key topics included:
- Optimizing supply chains for fresh products
- Strengthening collaborations between manufacturers and retailers
- Pricing strategies for perishable goods
- Retail inventory management
- The role of food banks and using imperfect produce
Industry Insights
- Rüdiger Blank from Kaufland shared recent projects to reduce waste at Kaufland Deutschland.
- Tore Høylie and Emilie Våge highlighted markdown pricing initiatives at REMA 1000 i Norge in Norway.
- In her keynote, Arzum Akkas presented how global retailers are addressing food waste, with markdown pricing being one of the most commonly used tools.
This event showcased the importance of cross-industry collaboration in addressing food waste and driving impactful change!
Networking and Social Events To foster further idea exchange, the event included several social activities, allowing participants to connect in a relaxed atmosphere. The workshop concluded with a visit to the Oktoberfest, offering a memorable way to wrap up a productive and insightful week!
Agenda
Sunday, Sep 22:
- Visit of the museum for renewable resources
- Key note from Arzum Akkas
Monday, Sep 23:
- Industry talks by Kaufland and REMA
- Presentations:
Frank Ge: Optimizing the US fresh produce supply chain to minimize food waste
Javad Nasiry: No Spoilers: Food waste and supply chain traceability
Sandra Transchel: Contracting in perishable-product supply chains under waste consideration
Tao Lu: Shipment monitoring, allocation and the impact on food was
Deniz Besik: Multicommodity fresh produce trade networks with quality deterioration under congestion
Rene Haijema: Food waste reduction – comparing discounting and donations by retailers
Sara Martins: Dynamic pricing strategies as a way to reduce food waste
Dorothee Honhon: It’s still good! Date labels & food waste
Rob Broekmeulen & Karel van Donselaar: Easy to use estimators for waste in a periodic review inventory system with perishable items
Laurens Debo: In the pursuit of freshness: consumer search, perishable inventory and food waste
Alexander Hübner: Uncovering waste: How store characteristics impact food waste in grocery retail
Michael Ketzenberg: Consumer food waste in retail operations
Pedro Amorim: The introduction of online operations to brick- and-mortar grocery stores and its impact on shrink
Tuesday, Sep 24:
- Presentations:
Yu Nu: Using Artificial Intelligence to reduce food waste
Manuel Ostermeier: Optimizing assortments with age-dependent inventory
Aydin Alptekinoglu: Achieving Rawlsian justice in food rescue
Pelin Pekgun: Reducing food waste in U.S. food banks: The role of distribution strategies
Burak Kazaz: Retailing strategies of imperfect produce and the battle against food waste
