Learning Locally: Engaging Customers to Reduce Food Waste

Ahold Delhaize USA companies have for decades been at the forefront of efforts to eliminate food waste, from pioneering food rescue programs to donating billions of meals to individuals and families in need. Next up? New strategics to engage customers in this important work. Efforts to date by Ahold Delhaize USA brands underscore the importance of understanding the consumer audience. Ahold Delhaize USA brands already engage consumers on food waste through store markdown programs, which encourage customers to purchase food nearing the end of its shelf life to avoid it going to waste. In-store nutritionists and dietitians also help customers keep food waste top of mind with messages like “shop smarter, cook more from less.”

Recently, this work has gained momentum with nutritionists and dietitians creating food waste-related content—such as “waste-free menu planning” and “amp up your leftovers.” These messages are shared through in-store magazines, cooking demos, and community programming. Further efforts are underway to continue to build by engaging consumers through established channels like cooking classes and in-store demonstrations.

Ahold Delhaize USA brands work to align efforts with consumer needs and local relevance, including providing information on meal planning, home ingredient tracking, recipes for leftovers, proper food storage, and “did you know” information about date labels. Other forthcoming efforts include things like informing shoppers about local initiatives like curbside composting, where available, and thinking about internal associates as customers in the store too and helping them understand their role in food waste reduction. The common thread is local engagement and the value of engaging locally to strengthen comprehensive and audience-focused food consumer waste reduction strategies.