Case Study – Food Pack Life Research

​

The aim of the pack life review was to test the association between an extension of date code and reductions in waste.  The results confirm that extending pack life during the trial did reduce the amount of waste.  Diminishing savings to waste per additional day to date code provides a guide to the commercial returns and waste savings and hence to investment decisions to be made to achieve optimal waste. The benefits are that the commercial case for investing in new processes to save costs from reduced product waste through investment in new processes can more accurately be assessed and operating protocols established - saving money and reducing waste.

​

BACKGROUND: SCi undertook a business experiment for one of the big 4 high street supermarket chains to establish whether there was a quantifiable relationship between extending code life and reducing food waste. Cooked roast chicken packs across 268 stores were reduced then subsequently extended and the waste measured. Analysis showed a clear general relationship could be established and that it could be concluded that there is a quantifiable relationship between extending pack-life and reducing food waste.  The client commented: ‘These results are very significant for us, the ability to calibrate waste by adding days to life is important and a very positive development, one we would like to extend to other products’

​

Business Experiment Debate about extending code life in anticipation that this would reduce waste has been an ongoing debate within the retail industry for some time. However, internal trials extending product life had been inconclusive.

​

The aim of the business experiment was therefore to test and give a reliable result as to whether an extension of the code life lead to reductions in waste.  SCI devised a business experiment over 32 weeks where date-codes were artificially shortened, re-extending the date code to the original incrementally. This approach allowed the effect of extending pack life to be measured whilst control of the business experiment could be maintained, and potential health issues avoided.

 

Results: A clear relationship between extending date code and the value of disposals was established.

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Additionally product management is generally much less predictable with short date codes. Extending date codes leads to a steady improvements in availability levels, order patterns and stock  control. Longer pack life results not only in measurable reductions  in waste but improved product management processes.