{"id":{"repo_id":"stellenbosch","oai_identifier":"oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/135608"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/stellenbosch/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/135608","repository":{"repo_id":"stellenbosch","name":"Stellenbosch University","base_url":"https://scholar.sun.ac.za/server/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Framework for quantifying retail food loss and waste in South Africa","abstract":"The United Nations Environment Programme (2024) states that food loss and waste (FLW) need to be measured. The Consumer Goods Council of South Africa (CGCSA) launched the Food Loss and Waste Initiative (FLWI) in 2020, which encourages food supply chain members to quantify and report their annual FLW figures (in tonnes) on their portal, which previously used an Excel reporting template. The portal was adapted from the FLW Accounting and Reporting Standard. Hobson (2023) found that the reporting template was appropriate for South African retailers; however, they noticed a few practicality issues. Three major concerns were that the template was cumbersome to use, that data quality varied across stores, and that calculations from selling units to tonnes were performed manually. The FLW recording process should be seamless to ensure FLW is recorded accurately. A retailer also cannot implement effective reduction strategies if the data is inaccurate. Hoehn et al. (2023) observed that the current methodology for quantifying FLW often leads to over- and underestimations of the actual FLW. This research aimed to develop a framework outlining the requirements for a management tool retailers can use in-store to accurately and holistically measure FLW and ultimately reduce it. Using the Design Science Research Methodology, a framework was developed. The framework aims to assist South African retailers in creating an effective tool to measure, track and reduce FLW. Interviews with industry experts revealed that they are unsatisfied with current methods for quantifying FLW. Through a literature review and expert interviews, the requirements of this tool were identified. The requirements were transformed into the interconnected activities representing practical steps in quantifying and managing FLW. After a preliminary framework was developed, six experts from the initial interview were re-interviewed. They critiqued the preliminary framework and ranked the activities within it by importance, difficulty, and the extent to which they were performed. One significant change requested by the experts was to include an FLW management and reduction activity. “If you go in and measure it [FLW], then so what?” There needs to be some form of waste management to meet Sustainable Development Goal 12.3, which aims to halve retail FLW by 2030. An adapted framework was developed using the experts' feedback and presented.","abstract_html":"The United Nations Environment Programme (2024) states that food loss and waste (FLW) need to be measured. The Consumer Goods Council of South Africa (CGCSA) launched the Food Loss and Waste Initiative (FLWI) in 2020, which encourages food supply chain members to quantify and report their annual FLW figures (in tonnes) on their portal, which previously used an Excel reporting template. The portal was adapted from the FLW Accounting and Reporting Standard. Hobson (2023) found that the reporting template was appropriate for South African retailers; however, they noticed a few practicality issues. Three major concerns were that the template was cumbersome to use, that data quality varied across stores, and that calculations from selling units to tonnes were performed manually. The FLW recording process should be seamless to ensure FLW is recorded accurately. A retailer also cannot implement effective reduction strategies if the data is inaccurate. Hoehn et al. (2023) observed that the current methodology for quantifying FLW often leads to over- and underestimations of the actual FLW. This research aimed to develop a framework outlining the requirements for a management tool retailers can use in-store to accurately and holistically measure FLW and ultimately reduce it. Using the Design Science Research Methodology, a framework was developed. The framework aims to assist South African retailers in creating an effective tool to measure, track and reduce FLW. Interviews with industry experts revealed that they are unsatisfied with current methods for quantifying FLW. Through a literature review and expert interviews, the requirements of this tool were identified. The requirements were transformed into the interconnected activities representing practical steps in quantifying and managing FLW. After a preliminary framework was developed, six experts from the initial interview were re-interviewed. They critiqued the preliminary framework and ranked the activities within it by importance, difficulty, and the extent to which they were performed. One significant change requested by the experts was to include an FLW management and reduction activity. “If you go in and measure it [FLW], then so what?” There needs to be some form of waste management to meet Sustainable Development Goal 12.3, which aims to halve retail FLW by 2030. An adapted framework was developed using the experts' feedback and presented.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Barton, Jessica Claire"],"institution":"Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University","degree_name":null,"degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":["De Lange, W. J.","Grobbelaar, S."],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2026,"date_issued":"2026-03","date_published":"2026-03","updated_at":"2026-07-24T04:40:12Z","subjects":[],"languages":["en"],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/135608","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.advisor","label":"Advisor","values":["De Lange, W. J.","Grobbelaar, S."]},{"key":"dc:contributor.other","label":"Dc Contributor Other","values":["Stellenbosch University. Faculty of AgriSciences. 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C. 2026. Framework for quantifying retail food loss and waste in South Africa. Unpublished masters thesis. Stellenbosch: Stellenbosch University [online]. Available: https://scholar.sun.ac.za/items/89063407-8ca8-418e-9fcd-521dcbc4c6d7"]},{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["The United Nations Environment Programme (2024) states that food loss and waste (FLW) need to be measured. The Consumer Goods Council of South Africa (CGCSA) launched the Food Loss and Waste Initiative (FLWI) in 2020, which encourages food supply chain members to quantify and report their annual FLW figures (in tonnes) on their portal, which previously used an Excel reporting template. The portal was adapted from the FLW Accounting and Reporting Standard. Hobson (2023) found that the reporting template was appropriate for South African retailers; however, they noticed a few practicality issues. Three major concerns were that the template was cumbersome to use, that data quality varied across stores, and that calculations from selling units to tonnes were performed manually. The FLW recording process should be seamless to ensure FLW is recorded accurately. A retailer also cannot implement effective reduction strategies if the data is inaccurate. Hoehn et al. (2023) observed that the current methodology for quantifying FLW often leads to over- and underestimations of the actual FLW. This research aimed to develop a framework outlining the requirements for a management tool retailers can use in-store to accurately and holistically measure FLW and ultimately reduce it. Using the Design Science Research Methodology, a framework was developed. The framework aims to assist South African retailers in creating an effective tool to measure, track and reduce FLW. Interviews with industry experts revealed that they are unsatisfied with current methods for quantifying FLW. Through a literature review and expert interviews, the requirements of this tool were identified. The requirements were transformed into the interconnected activities representing practical steps in quantifying and managing FLW. After a preliminary framework was developed, six experts from the initial interview were re-interviewed. They critiqued the preliminary framework and ranked the activities within it by importance, difficulty, and the extent to which they were performed. One significant change requested by the experts was to include an FLW management and reduction activity. “If you go in and measure it [FLW], then so what?” There needs to be some form of waste management to meet Sustainable Development Goal 12.3, which aims to halve retail FLW by 2030. 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