*2.1. Survey Methods and Questionnaires*

The study collected primary data via a structured questionnaire aimed at businesses that receive and sell fresh fruits and vegetables at Market City Canning Vale, Perth, Western Australia. The market facility consisted of refrigerated warehouses throughout, including packaging and a number of open display areas, as seen in Figure 1b,c. Produce handled was largely domestically sourced (94%), with a small volume of imported crops (6%). Research in this field has shown that estimating the levels of fruit and vegetable loss is often difficult and in many cases not reliable. Historically, two main approaches have been used to measure food loss. The first approach actually measures what has been lost, but this implies knowledge of what was present at the outset and this is usually not the case [35]. The second approach uses an Investigative Survey Research Approach (ISRA) to elicit loss estimates from those involved in the food supply chain [36]. In the second approach, a structured questionnaire enables the collection of various information from respondents [37]. The questionnaire used in this study considered: (1) produce sold; (2) the amount of received produce in a week; and (3) the amount of produce loss per week. In addition, to assist wholesalers, all questions had multiple answer choices based on an extensive background literature review. Respondents were asked to choose the "most" or

"least" preferred answer choice. In this survey, loss was defined as the portion of fruits and vegetables that do not reach their natural destination. In this case, human consumption and losses result from spoilage, decay, or any other kind of deterioration. Furthermore, participants were not requested to provide information regarding any qualitative fruit and vegetable losses, but were asked their reasons for not selling and their opinions on future loss reduction and utilization methods. The reason behind this approach stems from previous studies that showed qualitative losses were much more difficult to determine than quantitative losses [16,38]. Importantly, poor produce quality attracts little consumer interest since factors such as appearance, taste, texture, and nutritional value are expected for premium quality fruits and vegetables [39]. Consumer dissatisfaction with quality results in lower market values and higher levels of produce loss [40,41]. However, in developed countries, quality management of fruits and vegetables is rigorously maintained, since consumer choice is the key to successful retail business outcomes. Thus, retailers have to know their customers' quality preferences and operate their quality practices accordingly to maintain optimum profitability. The present questionnaire focused on assessing reported fruit and vegetable loss at the wholesale stage, since very little data is currently available. In addition, all participants were provided with an information letter fully explaining the nature of the survey and questionnaire, as required by the human ethics and confidentiality procedures promoted by Murdoch University.

**Figure 1.** (**a**) Aerial view of Market City Canning Vale, Perth, Western Australia; (**b**) wholesalers at work in the market; (**c**) typical examples of fresh produce sold at the market; and (**d**) a representative view of food loss in a bin.
