Abstract:
Food waste has a negative impact on the environment, society and economies. In South Africa, where millions of people are food insecure and an estimated one third of food is wasted at a cost of R61 billion per annum, reducing household food waste could aid sustainability and combat hunger (World Wide Fund for Nature, 2017). Consumers also have increasing expectations for brands to act responsibly and demonstrate a meaningful purpose beyond profit (Beverland, 2021). To minimise consumer food waste and maintain positive brand perceptions, it is important for brands to understand how consumers interpret retail food waste management practices like date labels and promotions (Phillips & Shah, 2017). This exploratory study reports on the results of in-depth interviews conducted with eight Woolworths customers in Johannesburg, South Africa. The study was conducted from an interpretivist paradigm and qualitative data was analysed through a thematic analysis. The study found differing consumer interpretations of date labels were especially notable between males and females and perceptions that food expires close to the use-by date result in food waste. Portion size inaccuracies and sales promotions that encourage excessive purchase, led to overbuying behaviour and food waste. Participants reported that Woolworths’s superior quality food in terms of taste, freshness and shelf-life contributed to household food waste reduction. The donation of food which has passed the sell-by date was the most recognised and appreciated Woolworths’s food waste management practice among consumers. The study concluded that Woolworths’s consumer facing practices demonstrated meaningful brand attributes in the context of food waste management and increased positive perceptions of the brand among consumers. These practices also aligned with favourable operations of the waste hierarchy framework. However, additional knowledge of food waste at other points in the supply chain and brand perceptions from a broader sample needs to be established to gain a deeper understanding of meaningful brands in a food waste context. Strategies like dated labels, promotions and serving recommendations also need to be revaluated and studied further in culture-specific contexts to optimise consumer understanding and avoid misinterpretation.
