Food Loss Prevention Options for Grocery Stores
Below is a list of ideas and activities that grocery stores may consider implementing to help prevent food
loss and waste. Contact your local EPA representative for log sheets, signs, and other tools.
~	Perform a food waste audit. See what's being thrown out and why. Pick a day and be there at the
waste bin with volunteers, buckets, a log sheet, a table, and a weight scale. Record the following:
o	What is being thrown out,
o	Weight or number of items,
o	The reason the food is being disposed (if known),
o	The expiration date of the product when applicable,
o	Whether the food was still wholesome/edible before being thrown out, and
o	Identify the most wasted to least wasted items.
Based on the results, consider changing procedures to minimize loss (e.g., reduce order quantities of
low sold or otherwise tossed items).
~	Clarify date labelling and date encoding to reduce confusion to customers. Work with your supply
chain to clearly label or define the difference between safety-based and quality-based dates. Some
options might include:
o Make "sell by" dates invisible to the consumer,
o Use more "freeze by" dates where applicable so the customer knows they have that option,
o Remove "best before" or other quality dates from shelf-stable, non-perishable foods for which
safety is not a concern, or
o Make sure all printed dates on products have descriptive language, not just a date.
~	Call a meeting to discuss food waste prevention strategies with staff. Get their thoughts and ideas.
~	Share practices with others outside your business to improve waste reduction industry-wide.
Purchasing Tips
~	Take an accurate inventory first and base orders on what you currently have.
~	Buy surplus or odd shaped produce from farms or wholesalers that would otherwise be wasted and
sell them at a discount.
~	Send order estimates more frequently to suppliers to better align production planning with order
timings.
~	Start or increase regular communication with suppliers to reduce food waste.
~	Revise your supply contracts to require the supplier to have a food waste reduction or food donation
program.
~	Change contracts to include methods or techniques to prevent food loss (e.g., use innovative
packaging such as vacuum sealed meat).
United States Environmental Protection Agency (5305P)
Washington, DC 20460
EPA-530-F-16-019-E
August 2016
For more information, including who
your local EPA representative is, visit:

-------
Food Loss Prevention Options for Grocery Stores
~	Make food waste reduction a key performance indicator in operations, supply chain and employee
performance.
Prep and Storage Tips
~	Use leftovers from the day before. Steak one day can be used for beef stew the next day.
~	Train staff on knife skills to make more efficient knife cuts to use more of the food being prepared.
~	Use as much of the food as possible. Cook up carrot greens and don't peel cucumbers or potatoes.
~	Reconstitute stalky vegetables that have wilted by immersing them in warm water (100°F) for 15
minutes.
~	Marinate meats to extend their shelf life for a few more days.
~	Different foods like different storage conditions. Refresh staff on storage techniques for different
foods (e.g., don't store tomatoes and lettuce in the same container or near each other).
~	Use see-through storage containers. Easily see what is available and keep an eye on freshness.
~	Cook, freeze, juice, or otherwise process foods that are approaching the end of their peak freshness to
prolong their useful life.
Store Set Up and Display Tips
~	Set up a discount shelf for ripe, near-to-expire, discontinued, or slightly damaged food. Provide clear
communication about this reduced price section.
~	Redesign product displays with less excess. For example, instead of a pile of produce, have a back
support that makes it look like a pile to keep produce fresher.
~	Allow prepared foods to run out near store closing. Track these items and only make as much as you
can sell.
Engaging with Customers Tips
~	Provide taste samples. Train staff to remind customers that they can try a sample to see if they like a
product before they buy it.
~	Have best storage practices information available in appropriate departments for certain foods,
including how long food should last when stored properly.
~	Offer various options to your customers on produce (e.g., whole, sliced, and mixed fruit). This will
assist them in eliminating food loss in their own homes.
United States Environmental Protection Agency (5305P)
Washington, DC 20460
EPA-530-F-16-019-E
August 2016
For more information, including who
your local EPA representative is, visit:

-------