Skip to content
DraconiticResearch
Search Sources API
190,851 studies31 sourcesUpdated 33 min ago
Peer-reviewedCC BYFrontiers in Sustainable Food Systems

Structural and operational barriers to food waste mitigation across traditional fruit and vegetable retail profiles in Mexico

  • Blanca Isabel Sánchez-Toledano1
  • Jorge A. Zegbe-Domínguez2
  • Dena María Jesús Camarena-Gómez3
  • Rafael García-Vázquez4
  • Ana Cristina Pacheco-Navarro5
5 affiliations
  1. 1Campo Experimental Zacatecas, Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Forestales, Agrícolas y Pecuarias, Calera de Víctor Rosales, Mexico
  2. 2Campo Experimental Pabellón, Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Forestales, Agrícolas y Pecuarias, Pabellón de Arteaga, Mexico
  3. 3Departamento de Contabilidad, Facultad Interdisciplinaria de Ciencias Económicas y Administrativas, Universidad de Sonora, Hermosillo, Mexico
  4. 4Unidad Regional Universitaria de Zonas Áridas, Universidad Autónoma Chapingo, Bermejillo, Mexico
  5. 5Centro de Investigación en Alimentación y Desarrollo AC, Instituto de Estudios Universitarios, Universidad de Sonora, Hermosillo, Mexico
Read full textPDFDOICite

Abstract

IntroductionReducing food waste in the retail sector is crucial for food security, yet traditional retail vulnerabilities are often overlooked. This study aimed to characterize marketing dynamics, the frequency of suboptimal produce, and waste management practices in fruit and vegetable retail outlets to identify the primary causes of food waste and propose targeted strategic interventions.MethodsUsing an observational cross-sectional design, a convenience sample (n = 180) across four Mexican states was stratified into four commercial profiles: municipal markets, produce stores, grocery stores, and open-air markets. Statistical analyses included Pearson's Chi-square tests (χ2), K-means cluster analysis and Multiple Correspondence Analysis.ResultsSelf-reported responses associated food waste with infrastructural and supply-chain constraints at the point of sale. The reported analysis did not detect a statistically significant association between marketing cluster membership and self-reported weekly waste in this sample. The Multiple Correspondence Analysis identified exploratory associations among retail format, sampled location, deterioration susceptibility, and reported utilization practices (e.g., household consumption, animal feed, or landfill disposal). These findings identify format- and context-specific interventions for future evaluation; such as adequate roofs/awnings for open-air markets or staff training and adequate display furniture for grocery stores, and campaigns promoting consumer acceptance of suboptimal produce.DiscussionFuture research should expand the sampling frame to other Mexican states to enable a broader cross-regional assessment. Overall, this study addresses retail fruit and vegetable waste through a multidimensional approach integrating marketing dynamics, suboptimal produce, and unsold inventory management across traditional commercial profiles.

Related

  1. Economic Barriers to Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing as a Structural Contributor to Antimicrobial Resistance in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Narrative Review.
    Yusuf Hared Abdi, Sharmake Gaiye Bashir, Shadia Mohamed Ali
    Infection and drug resistancePeer-reviewedCC BY-NCFull textMicrobiologyEurope PMC
  2. Exploring the motivation and structural barriers of women’s sports consumption from the perspective of the “She-Economy”
    Yixuan Shi, Tao Yang, Kaidi Zhang +1
    PLOS OnePeer-reviewedCC BYFull textNeuroscienceEpidemiology & public healthPLOSEurope PMC
  3. Cultural and structural barriers to HPV vaccine acceptance among young women in the United Arab Emirates
    Ream Langhe, Alaa AlKhatib, Aya Saber +6
    PLOS OnePeer-reviewedCC BYFull textImmunologyMicrobiologyPLOSEurope PMCPMC
  4. FVRS: a cross-species multi-omics database for fruit and vegetable ripening and senescence
    Lili Ma, Yunxiang Wang, Yiting Ren +10
    Molecular HorticulturePeer-reviewedCC BYFull textPlant biologyDOAJ
  5. Effects of Modified Chicken Manure Biochar-Based Bacillus velezensis Agent on Vegetable Growth, Saline–Alkali Soil Properties, and Microbial Communities
    Siyi Zhang, Lijuan Sun, Shuangxi Li +9
    Plants (Basel, Switzerland)Peer-reviewedCC BYFull textPlant biologyEurope PMC

Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{sancheztoledano2026structural,
  title = {{Structural and operational barriers to food waste mitigation across traditional fruit and vegetable retail profiles in Mexico}},
  author = {Blanca Isabel Sánchez-Toledano and Jorge A. Zegbe-Domínguez and Dena María Jesús Camarena-Gómez and Rafael García-Vázquez and Ana Cristina Pacheco-Navarro},
  journal = {Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.3389/fsufs.2026.1971858},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2026.1971858},
  note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Structural and operational barriers to food waste mitigation across traditional fruit and vegetable retail profiles in Mexico
AU  - Blanca Isabel Sánchez-Toledano
AU  - Jorge A. Zegbe-Domínguez
AU  - Dena María Jesús Camarena-Gómez
AU  - Rafael García-Vázquez
AU  - Ana Cristina Pacheco-Navarro
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/25
JO  - Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems
DO  - 10.3389/fsufs.2026.1971858
UR  - https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2026.1971858
AB  - IntroductionReducing food waste in the retail sector is crucial for food security, yet traditional retail vulnerabilities are often overlooked. This study aimed to characterize marketing dynamics, the frequency of suboptimal produce, and waste management practices in fruit and vegetable retail outlets to identify the primary causes of food waste and propose targeted strategic interventions.MethodsUsing an observational cross-sectional design, a convenience sample (n = 180) across four Mexican states was stratified into four commercial profiles: municipal markets, produce stores, grocery stores, and open-air markets. Statistical analyses included Pearson's Chi-square tests (χ2), K-means cluster analysis and Multiple Correspondence Analysis.ResultsSelf-reported responses associated food waste with infrastructural and supply-chain constraints at the point of sale. The reported analysis did not detect a statistically significant association between marketing cluster membership and self-reported weekly waste in this sample. The Multiple Correspondence Analysis identified exploratory associations among retail format, sampled location, deterioration susceptibility, and reported utilization practices (e.g., household consumption, animal feed, or landfill disposal). These findings identify format- and context-specific interventions for future evaluation; such as adequate roofs/awnings for open-air markets or staff training and adequate display furniture for grocery stores, and campaigns promoting consumer acceptance of suboptimal produce.DiscussionFuture research should expand the sampling frame to other Mexican states to enable a broader cross-regional assessment. Overall, this study addresses retail fruit and vegetable waste through a multidimensional approach integrating marketing dynamics, suboptimal produce, and unsold inventory management across traditional commercial profiles.
SN  - 2571-581X
ER  -