QUESTION:

Consumer-readable sell-by dating replaced an older system of symbols or numbers whose

meaning was understood only by the retailer. It was replaced by consumer-readable date
labels in an attempt to achieve increased consumer transparency. How should conflicts
between demands for consumer transparency and the policy objective of reducing food waste
be decided?

Based on the question given, the conflict between demands for consumer transparency and
the policy objectives of food waste can be resolved by first elaborating on the policy
objectives of food waste. What are some policies to reduce food waste?

Some of the objectives of the Fusions Project, which aims to reduce food waste, include
monitoring food waste harmonisation, increasing social innovation that is useful in reducing
food waste, and finally, developing standards for a common EU27 (EU28) food waste policy.
These are some examples of policy objectives to reduce food waste based on the Fusions
project. But, what about consumer transparency?

Consumers today are not like previous generations; they want to know more about the foods
they eat, how they were prepared, the ingredients, how many calories they contain, and a
variety of other details. Trust is one issue with consumer transparency. The consumer needs
trust from the retailer regarding the food before actually consuming it. As a result, many
restaurants and supermarkets have increased the transparency of their food. For example:

1. Heineken is showing more and more how their ingredients, like the apples used in
their cider, travel a sustainable path.
2. Using Friso TrackEasy, parents and kids can easily see where their milk comes from.

Consumer transparency is very important to increase consumer demand for food. Some
suggestions for increasing consumer transparency include determining what consumers want
to know and not opening up all business processes. 
Therefore, what are the conflicts between consumer transparency and the policy objectives of
reducing food waste? Which ways are better to reduce food waste? Based on the above
explanation, we can see that consumer transparency is very important because customers
need trust, and compared to the policies, consumer transparency is more important.

Conflicts between these two can be resolved by explaining in detail why consumer
transparency is preferable to food waste reduction policies. 

1. Need for food chain traceability:

An issue regarding the raw material inventory has become a big problem for the food
producers. Then, consumer demand also increased. Therefore, to ensure smooth management
of the supplier relationship, “Transparency in food industry allows people to access quality,
timing, and quantity data. It provides information that both suppliers and consumers can
benefit from.” 1

2. Consumer pressure:

The consumers' demand for transparency has increased, especially in 2018. At that time, 67%
of the consumers demanded information regarding food products. What they buy must be in
good condition because they prefer and continue to buy the same products.For example, if the
consumer trusts "Gardenia" as the best bread brand, they are likely to stick with that product
for a long time. 

3. Consumers value transparency:

1
Transparency in food industry: 3 reasons why it matters. BlueCart. (n.d.). Retrieved November 24, 2022, from
https://www.bluecart.com/blog/food-distribution-transparency#toc-3-reasons-why-transparency-matters-in-
food-distribution-and-supply-chain
“The vast majority of shoppers (79%) are at least somewhat interested in looking beyond
product labels to find these types of information, with half saying they are either very or
extremely interested”2 Nowadays, consumers value the quality of the food product, such as
the expiration date, ingredients, and nutrition.

When comparing the conflict between consumer transparency and policies, transparency
must take precedence over policies because food products are what consumers desire. If the
product does not exceed the expectations of consumers, then food waste will occur. On the
other hand, policies to reduce food waste are more the responsibility of the government and
the companies that produce the food products. They have to make sure that the food is in
good condition and reduce the waste from production. Based on the survey, we can see that
we must put consumers before food policies.

CITATION:

2
04, M. J. | F. (2022, February 4). Survey: Consumers demand deeper transparency from food brands, retailers.
Supermarket News. Retrieved November 24, 2022, from https://www.supermarketnews.com/consumer-
trends/survey-consumers-demand-deeper-transparency-food-brands-retailers
Waste not: Food waste reduction practices and policies in the EU. (n.d.). Retrieved
November 24, 2022, from
https://www.brandonu.ca/rdi/files/2014/03/Webinar_BRANDON_FW_Vittuari1.pdf

Kavakli, B. (2022, November 9). Council post: Transparency is no longer an option; it's a
must. Forbes. Retrieved November 24, 2022, from
https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinesscouncil/2021/05/04/transparency-is-no-
longer-an-option-its-a-must/?sh=61d1dd575fe7

Transparency in food industry: 3 reasons why it matters. BlueCart. (n.d.). Retrieved

November 24, 2022, from https://www.bluecart.com/blog/food-distribution-
transparency#toc-3-reasons-why-transparency-matters-in-food-distribution-and-supply-
chain

04, M. J. | F. (2022, February 4). Survey: Consumers demand deeper transparency from food
brands, retailers. Supermarket News. Retrieved November 24, 2022, from
https://www.supermarketnews.com/consumer-trends/survey-consumers-demand-
deeper-transparency-food-brands-retailers