3.2.5. Placement and Exposure

tables.

3.2.3. Replenishment and Rotation of Produce An important work routine at the FV department was the replenishment and rotation of products. New products were replenished from the upper part of the display units, and products with best before dates were replenished from behind so that those with earlier dates could be sold first for the purpose of reducing food waste, following the first in first out model. The replenishment was carefully conducted to avoid damaging the products. The secondary packaging was replaced regularly to avoid contamination. 3.2.4. Plan of Selling and Adjusted Pricing Having a plan of selling and adjusting the price when needed kept the sales volume The placement and exposure of products could increase shelf-life and sales volume, and thereby reduce the amount of waste. Shelf-life of some products could be lengthened if refrigerated, while some others were more durable at room temperature. It was sometimes a balance of decisions; for instance, peaches lasted longer in cooler temperatures, but the sales volume was higher outside since the exposure was better and it was easier for the customers to find the peaches. If products that preferred lower temperature could not be placed in a refrigerator, it was important that the turnover was high, so that the produce was not kept at a suboptimal temperature for too long. Proper placement and display were also essential for some products that were pressure-sensitive and for products which could not be kept in close proximity to certain others to obviate faster ripening.

### high and waste level low. The employees always planned the selling and pricing. If a 3.2.6. Packaging and Functions

product approached its best before date, and/or there was a surplus of a product in stock, the staff could adjust the price downward to increase sales and in that way prevent waste. 3.2.5. Placement and Exposure The placement and exposure of products could increase shelf-life and sales volume, and thereby reduce the amount of waste. Shelf-life of some products could be lengthened if refrigerated, while some others were more durable at room temperature. It was sometimes a balance of decisions; for instance, peaches lasted longer in cooler temperatures, but the sales volume was higher outside since the exposure was better and it was easier for the customers to find the peaches. If products that preferred lower temperature could not be placed in a refrigerator, it was important that the turnover was high, so that the produce was not kept at a suboptimal temperature for too long. Proper placement and display were also essential for some products that were pressure-sensitive and for products which could not be kept in close proximity to certain others to obviate faster ripening. 3.2.6. Packaging and Functions Packaging contributed both to a reduction of waste in some cases, and to an increase of waste in some others. The packaging system had large variation. The material of primary packaging varied but plastic dominated. Several products were sold both in bulk and with primary packaging. Primary packaging was important for protection of vegetables such as sweet pepper and tomato. The disadvantage with some packaging solutions, such as grapes or pears packed in plastic boxes, was that if one or two items turned out to be bad, the entire box was often discarded. Time constraints disallowed the employees to remove the defective pieces and retain the box for sale. In some other cases, primary packaging was used mainly for convenience for the customers, for instance in the sense that it was easier and faster for customers to grab a number of oranges in a plastic mesh bag or a number of pears in a plastic box without a lid wrapped in mesh net instead of picking several individual items. The weaknesses of such convenience packaging were twofold: it did not offer any protection, and there was no possibility to open, remove the bad produce and reseal. Packaged products with best before dates had a higher waste quota compared to other products belonging to the same FV category. It was also time-consuming for the employees to check, rearrange and remove products with a best before date.

Packaging contributed both to a reduction of waste in some cases, and to an increase of waste in some others. The packaging system had large variation. The material of primary packaging varied but plastic dominated. Several products were sold both in bulk Secondary packaging mainly consisted of cardboard boxes or plastic crates. These types of secondary packaging could be placed directly at the display units, or the products could be moved into another tray or shelf in the store. One problem with secondary packaging was the amount/quantity of the contents. For example, secondary packaging with mini carrots contained 16 plastic bags, which was more than the stores could sell before the carrots lost their freshness. The staff stated that they would have liked to have

the option to order smaller amounts (quantities), even if it meant the payment of a higher (unit) purchase price.
