Direct quantification of cost of surplus bread at Italian small-scale bakeries
On 25 September 2024, LOWINFOOD partner Roberta Pietrangeli (University of Tuscia) presented at the Retaste Conference the results of the quantification of the cost of surplus bread conducted at some Italian small-scale bakeries as part of LOWINFOOD.
In Italy, small-scale bakeries (≤10 employees) represent 91% of the sector and they produce 84.1 % of the fresh bread consumed in Italy. Small-scale bakeries sell most of the fresh bread they produce directly to consumers, besides supplying retail stores.
The study carried out by the LOWINFOOD partners aimed to fill the gap of data about bread waste in Italy, by providing a direct quantification of wasted bread at small-scale bakeries, in terms of mass and economic value. 12 small-scale bakeries in the Lazio region had been selected for the assessment, with a total of 11 bakery branches participating in the study.
The total surplus (unsold) bread measured corresponded to an economic loss of 32,253.69€, equal to 8.25% of the turnover generated by the three products assessed in the study, namely common bread, focaccia bread and bread rolls. They realised that Sunday is the day when bread surplus is the lowest and that bakeries mostly favoured using the surplus bread to produce breadcrumbs, probably because this destination generated additional turnover.
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