The influence of shelf life on food waste: A model-based approach by empirical market evidence

Several million tons of food are wasted annually and solutions to completely face the problem are not still available. It is well recognized that shelf life prolongation could play a key role for reducing food waste but the real relation between shelf life and food waste is not well assessed for lack of actual market data. Therefore, the aim of this work was to identify the relationship between the shelf life and an important food waste component, i.e. the product returned from the market, by using a proper statistical approach, adapted to data kindly offered by a domestic industry. The mathematical model highlighted an inverse function between shelf life and product returned only when the shelf life is between 30 and 50 days. This means that for specific products with shelf life in this range (30-50 days), a proper prolongation could significantly reduce the amount of products returned from the market, if unsold within their commercial life. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.