Economic aspects of losses and waste : case study of the South African table grape supply chain

Abstract

Globally, 1.3 billion tons of edible food is wasted per annum. Having regard for the economic, social and environmental consequences, the management of food losses and waste is an obvious priority in pursuing a sustainable, sovereign global food system. A study was undertaken to explore the phenomenon of food losses and waste in the South African Table Grape Industry’s export value chain. A mixed method approach was used to develop a framework to guide the identification and quantification of losses and waste within the particular chain. Practically, the framework is a tool for stakeholders to guide policymaking and decision making at industry and operator level to manage losses and waste. The application of the framework to selected South African table grape export chains suggests that the bulk of the losses and waste historically occur at the production and intake stages of the chains. An approximate figure of 9.5 % (R270.5 m) of losses and waste occurred between the production and intake stages and 2.2 % (R93.2 m) and 3.8 % (R0.4 m) occurred between intakes and exports and between the importer to retail depot, respectively. Reducing losses and waste requires more thoughtful and customised alignment between stakeholders to enhance overall supply chain performance by managing losses and waste.