There is a strong sentiment that the cost of food waste needs to increase. For large retailers, this may prove an unpopular approach.

However, there are inspiring business cases from retailers that have gone the extra mile to reduce waste and still improve profits. An illustrative example comes from Denmark, where Rema 1000 in a sweeping decision made bulk offers obsolete ─ without dropping in revenue. Others will follow their lead.

Another case comes from Stora Coop in Visby, Gotland, where food waste has been drastically reduced from an annual 120 to 7 tons in only five years. The goal is a zero-waste store, and by utilizing 80-90 different methods and techniques, the staff of 95 have been able to work together with a clear vision in mind.

Store manager Markus Wahlgren shared a few of his hacks on stage.

While some of the retail solutions could easily be considered on a chain-wide level, others are not necessarily as replicable and scalable. The sharing of best practices seems like a crucial ignition in providing inspiration and actionable insights to an increasing number of retailers.

Regardless of whether the incentive is to reduce waste costs or to avoid fines, the outcome may well be the same. With food waste climbing higher on the public and political agenda, there is hope that non-financial parameters – like environment and climate considerations − also will play a more significant role in our future food retail environments.

Markus Wahlgren, Store manager