An exploratory study of possible food waste risks in supermarket fruit and vegetable sections

Abstract Food waste is an emerging issue in terms of food policy; the most common cause of fruit and vegetable waste at a retailer, in addition to excess stock and consumer behaviour, is the lack of employees certified in food handling. Fruits and vegetables require specific handling and storing to avoid waste. The objective of this work was to survey the employees of fruit and vegetable sections in supermarkets to understand their experience and the reasons they believe products are wasted. The results show that most employees have secondary educations; the average age of these employees is 33 with at least one year working for the company; and no significant correlation was found between age and seniority in the company. In comparison to international supermarkets, national supermarkets train their employees less. Employees perceived the best-selling fruits to be bananas, apples, papayas, melons and pineapples and the vegetables to be tomatoes, onions, green peppers (serrano), and potatoes, which are essential in Mexican cuisine, and their perceptions of best-selling produce were related to waste, probably due to the widespread availability of these types of produce. One of the strategies to avoid wasting fruits and vegetables in good condition is donating them to food banks.摘要：食品浪费是食品政策领域的新兴议题。在零售商环节造成果蔬浪费的最常见诱因，除库存过剩与消费者行为之外，还包括缺乏食品处理资质认证的从业人员缺口。果蔬需采取专属的处理与储存方式，方可避免浪费。本研究旨在对超市果蔬部门的从业人员开展问卷调查，以了解其从业经历以及他们认为导致产品浪费的各类原因。调研结果显示，大部分从业人员具备中等教育背景；该群体平均年龄为33岁，且均至少在本企业任职满一年；未发现从业人员年龄与司龄之间存在显著相关性。相较于国际连锁超市，本土超市对从业人员的培训力度更小。从业人员认为销量最高的水果包括香蕉、苹果、木瓜、甜瓜与菠萝，销量最高的蔬菜则为墨西哥料理中不可或缺的番茄、洋葱、塞拉诺青辣椒（serrano）以及土豆；他们对畅销生鲜品类的认知与浪费情况存在关联，这或许是由于此类生鲜品类的市场供应较为普遍。将品相完好的果蔬捐赠至食品银行，是减少此类食品浪费的策略之一。