Article, Community Engagement, Corporate Social Responsibility, Equity & Inclusion

Pandemic Reveals Food Retail Worker Inequities and Industry Challenges—But Shows a Path Forward

The COVID-19 pandemic forced the food retail industry to innovate faster in 2020 than ever before, but also meant “windfall profits” for many food retailers as people stocked up on food and restaurants closed their doors. According to a Brookings Institution report published in late 2020, top retailers earned an average of 40% higher profits in 2020 over 2019, and stock prices…

Article, Climate Change, Zero Waste

Grocery Stores Lead in the Movement to Cut Food Waste

A Moral Imperative and an Economic Opportunity  According to the nonprofit ReFED, one third of all food produced in the U.S. is wasted. That is equivalent to roughly 2% of the U.S. GDP. Globally, 931 million metric tons of food are wasted annually. According to the United Nations Environment Programme’s Food Waste Index Report 2021, 61% of…

Article, Climate Change, Supply Chain, Zero Waste

Four Ways Grocery Stores Can Take a Lead Role in Solving the Plastics Crisis

We all know that plastics are a problem – and grocery stores are positioned to help solve it  Images of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and stories of microplastics found in the bodies of sea life…

Article, Climate Change, Energy Efficiency, Risk Management, Supply Chain

Is Climate Change Food Retail’s Achilles Heel – or its Biggest Opportunity?

Food retailers are already dealing with the effects of climate change on their businesses. Increased dramatic weather events—more intense and more frequent hurricanes, wildfires, tornadoes, and extreme snow and rain—damage property and impact just-in-time supply chains that keep shelves stocked and communities fed. Some industry actors have been working to up…

Ratio Institute