{"id":7153,"date":"2026-05-18T12:26:52","date_gmt":"2026-05-18T11:26:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newtonimpact.com\/?post_type=content_library&p=7153"},"modified":"2026-05-19T20:44:21","modified_gmt":"2026-05-19T19:44:21","slug":"setting-the-standard-how-to-spot-and-stop-specifications-baking-waste-into-food-manufacturing","status":"publish","type":"content_library","link":"https:\/\/newtonimpact.com\/en-us\/content-library\/market-report\/setting-the-standard-how-to-spot-and-stop-specifications-baking-waste-into-food-manufacturing\/","title":{"rendered":"Setting the standard: How to spot and stop specifications baking waste into food manufacturing"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n Take Me Back<\/a>\n\n

Setting the standard: How to spot and stop specifications baking waste into food manufacturing<\/h1>\n

By John D’Arcy<\/p>\n\n

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Delivery Partner<\/p>\n <\/span>\n \n

Market Report<\/p>\n <\/span>\n \n

8 min<\/p>\n <\/span>\n \n

18th May 2026<\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/section>\n\n \n\n\n

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Can the food and drink industry stop a good amount of preventable waste in manufacturing by resetting specifications agreed between retailers and suppliers? <\/h2>\n <\/hgroup>\n \n
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Walk around nearly any food and drink factory and you will find edible items about to be thrown in a dolav. Bread could be marginally over or under baked according to the colour chart. Chocolate might not be spread to one edge of a biscuit. A carrot may have the end missing. Eventually, it happens so often that people stop noticing it.<\/p>\n

The issue does not sound enormous. UK retailers sell 18.5 million tonnes of UK manufactured food and drink each year. Our calculations show that around 550k tonnes is wasted during that production \u2013 equivalent to 3% of sales. Just 23% of that could be prevented. However, that is still enough to create hundreds of millions of meals and affect financial success. Recoverable food waste in manufacturing takes over \u00a3326 million a year off the table for UK businesses, making it well worth exploring how to realise it \u2013 for people, profits and the planet.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/section>\n\n \n\n\n

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Where waste starts<\/h2>\n <\/hgroup>\n \n
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The recoverable waste happens at six key moments:<\/strong><\/p>\n

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  1. Preparation 40%<\/li>\n
  2. Operations 35%<\/li>\n
  3. Quality Control 18%<\/li>\n
  4. Giveaway 4%<\/li>\n
  5. Changeover 2%<\/li>\n
  6. Planning 1%<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Four of these moments are all affected by one factor: specifications. Quality control and giveaway are directly driven by them, while preparation and changeover are indirectly influenced. This means that nearly two\u2011thirds (63%) of all recoverable waste in food manufacturing could be contributed to, at least in part, by specifications.<\/p>\n

    The issue in many cases has cropped up because the specifications agreed between the retailer and manufacturer cause waste, or are set by the product development teams without input from the manufacturing function.<\/p>\n

    These specifications are necessary in many cases to deliver the products customers want. However, sometimes this reflects a perception that consumers would reject this particular product with these particular cosmetic flaws. But often, it is unintentional: the people signing off the specifications (potentially years ago) weren\u2019t aware that the thresholds for consistent colour, size, finish, weight and so on would cause repeating waste due to operational realities. They didn\u2019t have the data, or a reason, to have a detailed conversation.<\/p>\n

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    Setting standards<\/h2>\n <\/hgroup>\n\n
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    Retailer\u2013supplier agreements are built on a set of commercial specification decisions which, in an ideal world, balance customer expectations with costs and waste performance (as well as including a clear partnership plan for any surplus that can\u2019t be prevented and how to use any savings).<\/p>\n

    Making these decisions starts with a granular understanding of what is causing waste. The Waste Equation<\/a>, our recent report in collaboration with The Felix Project and FareShare and IGD\u2019s Alliance Food Sourcing, reveals five steps to reducing waste \u2013 from diagnosing the waste to challenging the drivers, building the case for change and delivering improvements on the line every day.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n\n

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