Measures to Reduce Food Waste in the Wholesale and Retail Sector – Guide and Inspiration

Retailers and wholesalers can be pioneers in leading the way to more sustainability, encouraging customers to adopt healthier and more sustainable lifestyles and investing in their supply chains to save valuable resources. A key aspect of this effort is the reduction of food waste. Germany’s yearly food waste amounts to around 12 million tonnes. In order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal 12.3, the National Strategy to Reduce Food Waste aims to halve the per capita food waste in Germany at the retail and consumer level by 2030 and to reduce food waste generated along the supply chain. With the 2020-2022 Declaration of Participation in the Wholesale and Retail Dialogue Forum coordinated by the CSCP, companies in the wholesale and retail sector are setting a good example by implementing at least four other elective measures in addition to two mandatory ones. This action guide is intended to support the implementation of the measures mentioned in the Declaration of Participation, but can also be used as a resource document by any food company on how to reduce their food waste.