Journey to Zero: Food Loss and Waste Reduction

In a world where resource scarcity and sustainability are pressing concerns, tackling food loss and waste is paramount. Despite widespread hunger, vast amounts of food are discarded each day, highlighting the urgent need to address this critical global challenge. At Central Retail, we understand the far-reaching impact of food loss and waste on our environment, economy, and food security. Our commitment to reducing food waste is part of a larger effort to promote responsible resource use and support a more equitable, sustainable future for all.

Central Retail implements a comprehensive Zero Waste Model to systematically reduce the total volume of food loss and waste across its operations. Through the Zero Waste Model, employees are trained to efficiently categorize food waste into two primary categories:

1. Edible Waste: This waste is repurposed into nutritious animal feed, contributing to a circular economy, and maximizing resource utilization.
2. Non-Edible Waste: This waste undergoes conversion into valuable resources for local communities, such as compost and cooking gas.

This comprehensive approach minimizes food loss and waste and contributes to resource utilization.

Furthermore, in retail, large amount of food that are close to the ‘best-before’ date is unsold and will have to be discarded as food waste during the inventory management process, which can result in loss in revenue and inefficiency in resource management. To fix this problem, Central Retail has developed a data collection and monitoring system to track food that are close to ‘best-before’ date to inform subsidiaries within the food business category to identify potential food waste and collaborate with downstream partners to utilize these food waste for alternative uses.

Therefore, the subsidiaries such as Tops and Tops Daily, curated these still-edible items into bags containing a mix of bakery products, fruits, vegetables, ready-to-eat meals, and other fresh ingredients. Instead of being discarded, these bags are being sold through partnerships with online food delivery platforms specializing in selling unsold but still safe and edible food. Customers can buy these bags at affordable prices (50% lower than the normal retail price) via the online application and pick them up throughout the various locations of Tops and Tops Daily in Bangkok. This approach allows Central Retail to not only reduce food waste by using them for alternative uses via a food rescue model, but also generate revenue and provide low-income customers and families with access to safe and healthy food. In 2023, Central Retail has reduced 1,525.7 tons of food waste with a plan to expand this approach to nationwide in the future.

Central Retail's adoption of a comprehensive Zero Waste Model demonstrates a strong commitment to minimizing food loss and waste across its operations. By training employees to efficiently categorize and repurpose food waste, Central Retail not only reduces its environmental footprint but also contributes to local communities through the creation of valuable resources like compost and cooking gas. This model exemplifies a approach to resource management, transforming potential waste into beneficial products and supporting a more circular economy.