Improving the Storage of Some Food Categories to Reduce the Irretrievable Losses of a Retailer: Methodology Analysis

Vladivostok State University of Economics and Service, 690014 Vladivostok, Russia

^* Corresponding author: minyaylova96@mail.ru

Abstract

Retailers conventionally store perishable foods in refrigerated display cases to keep them at specific temperatures; air conditioning dries the air in the room, which in turn causes these foods to lose moisture. Water as a dispersing medium and a solvent affects the consistency, structure, and appearance of foods in storage. However, excessive moistness will also jeopardize the quality of foods by providing fungi and bacteria with good conditions for growth. Conventional food storage technology does not involve humidity control; as a result, food appearance and quality degrades, and the intensive food drying results in excessive shrink-related costs to the retailer. To minimize the negative impact of such overdrying of perishable foods on the retailer’s economy, storage facilities must provide optimal temperature and humidity. In this research, the author monitor and compare the write-offs labeled as ‘defective’ and the irretrievable shrink-related losses to identify and analyze the effectiveness of humidity control-enabled refrigeration units when used to store some foods categories in refrigerated display cases.