Home – Case Studies – A Comprehensive Food Waste Management Review
A Comprehensive Food Waste Management Review for Ocado Retail

Home – Case Studies – A Comprehensive Food Waste Management Review
Ocado Retail, the world’s largest dedicated online supermarket, has committed to tackling food waste in line with SDG 12.3 by reducing food waste in its own operations by 20% by 2025 and halving it by 2030. With this commitment, Ocado Retail initially approached Anthesis to support them with a review of its own operation’s food waste calculation methodology to ensure the food waste measurement was robust and representative.
Following this work, Ocado Retail engaged Anthesis to help assess food waste management and practices within their customer fulfilment centres to help identify improvement areas and gaps on their journey to reduce food waste.
Anthesis conducted site operations assessments at three of Ocado Retail’s distribution centres to assess how food waste is generated, handled, and avoided. Anthesis objectively reviewed and analysed waste infrastructure, operations processes and policies, data and data systems, and culture and behaviours. We also conducted waste composition analysis to identify waste hotspots and improvement opportunities.
Through this in-depth review, complimented by stakeholder engagement, Anthesis was able to present Ocado with a detailed analysis of the causes and drivers of unsold food across its operations, both at food category and process stage level. Anthesis also provided Ocado Retail with a full assessment of current operational processes, policies, infrastructure, and culture impacting unsold food. The assessment not only highlighted gaps and potential areas for food waste performance improvement, but also quantified the business opportunity for Ocado Retail.
From this, Anthesis provided a comprehensive set of strategic recommendations to reduce levels of unsold food, maximise food surplus redistribution, and reduce food waste. The recommendations spanned areas such as:
Ocado Retail has taken our recommendations on board and are now working internally on four keys areas of implementation to unlock further food waste reductions and the environmental, social, and business benefits this will unlock. These main areas of focus are:
Discover how Anthesis can support your sustainability ambitions.
We’d love to hear from you
We are the world’s leading purpose driven, digitally enabled, science-based activator. And always welcome inquiries and partnerships to drive positive change together.