A review of factors reducing waste in the food supply chain: The retailer perspective

This research unifies previous studies and provides a critical review of the factors affecting the volume of food waste across food supply chains from a retailer perspective. Particularly, it focusses on analyzing the positive factors that contribute to the reduction of food waste. A systematic review was employed using a combination of methods including the three macro-stages (planning the review, conducting the review, and reporting and dissemination) and the PRISMA statement. As a result, 175 journal articles were selected, and the influences identified are analyzed from the angle of the Triple Bottom Line (TBL) and the Organizational theory. The search yielded forty-four unique factors that help reduce food waste. These were grouped into twelve broader categories and further classified under the three dimensions of the macro-environment, the microenvironment, and the internal environment of the retail organization. Food retailers occupy a unique position to drive other members across the supply chain (SC) to reduce food waste. The research contributes to the waste food body of knowledge and can help to guide the decisions of both retailers and stakeholders seeking to reduce food waste in the SC.