Courtauld Commitment 3: Bakery Waste Analysis Tool

Courtauld Commitment 3: Bakery Waste Analysis Tool

General Introduction
This tool was developed by LRS Consultancy and Tesco on behalf of WRAP and is intended to support the identification and resolution of the root causes of waste within a
bakery manufacturing and retail operation. It should be used in conjunction with <<project workbook cross reference>>.
This tool consists of 3 main elements: A waste analysis overview, a waste analysis template and an overall waste analysis fishbone diagram.
Please note: this document is intended to printed on A3 paper.
1. Waste Analysis Guidance
This section of the document provides an overview of the typical causes of bakery waste within a manufacturing and retail environment and makes suggestions as to
how these causes could be tackled and who needs to be involved. Suggested timeframes for addressing each area are also provided.
It should be noted that not all of the suggested actions are likely to be relevant and these therefore need to be tailored to meet the requirements of each organisation.
2. Waste Analysis Template
This worksheet is intended to be used to help capture and understand information relating to the root causes of bakery waste based on the waste analysis guidance. It
is envisaged that this template will be used to help analysis and address waste within a specific bakery or store as part of a wider waste analysis/ resource efficiency
programme. Focus areas should be added or removed based on the specific circumstances of the operation being analysed.
3. Fishbone Diagram
This diagram provides an visual representation of the main causes of bakery waste across a range of different areas. The root causes shown in this image are explained
further in the waste analysis guidance document.

This diagram provides a visual representation of the various potential causes of bakery waste.

Courtauld Commitment 3: Bakery Waste Analysis Guidance

#

Focus Area and Root Cause

Description & Potential Impact

Suggested Action(s)

Key Decision Makers

Resolution
Timeframe

1. Environment/ Working Conditions

The scale of pay of the bakery teams relative to other departments within store
and the wider industry can have an impact on staff morale and/ or the ability to
recruit and retain bakery staff. This is especially true at the level of Bakery
Manager.
1.1

1.2

1.3

1.4

Relative bakery pay

Multiple and/ or conflicting

management requirements

Communications between the

bakery and central teams

Medium - Long term

Management priorities vis--vis bakery activities can have a significant impact on

bakery waste. In the case of ISBs, there is also a number of potential sources of
contradiction in terms of the priorities of store management and central bakery
management team e.g.
resourcing and the need to move bakery staff to other departments at peak
times or as a result of resource shortages elsewhere (see also 2.1)
available shelf space (see also 3.1)
merchandising requirements/ on-shelf availability throughout the day (see also
6.4)

Understand the range of management interactions with the bakery team and
Central Bakery Team/ In-store Bakery
identify potential sources of conflict/ contradiction.
Team/ Store Management
Explore the impacts and implications of any conflicting priorities.
Share this impact information with relevant members of the management team and
the bakery team and agree how these conflicts should be addressed/ avoided in the
future.
Communicate decisions and any associated process changes.

Short - Medium Term

The nature of bakery products means that the value of bakery waste may be
relatively low when compared with waste from other departments. Tackling
bakery waste may, therefore, be perceived by the store management team as
having a lower priority especially where resourcing and management time is
limited.

Monitor and report bakery waste as a proportion of sales.

Central Bakery Team/ In-store Bakery
Compare waste figures to other departments/ other stores.
Team/ Store Management
Review how waste is recorded across various departments e.g. at cost or retail price
as this can impact the value of waste reported.
Calculate the true cost of the bakery waste (i.e. time, energy, water, other
overheads, environmental impact, waste collection costs etc).
Articulate the annual impact of bakery waste on the business.
Consider introducing league tables to compare waste performance across a range of
similar stores. Managed correctly, such comparisons can be valuable waste prevention
tools.

Short - Medium Term

Meeting production plans on a daily basis to ensure all freshly baked stock is on Ensure that current processes/ resourcing levels etc. are fit for purpose.
the shelves at the correct time is a complicated process that allows little room for Identify risk areas and develop and communication relevant mitigations e.g.
error or delay. Any additional stresses (e.g. seasonal lines, weather-related
preventative machine maintenance.
demand changes, illness, holidays, broken or faulty equipment etc) can place
Maintain open communication channels between Head Office and Store Teams and
additional pressure on the bakery teams which, in turn, can increase waste e.g. ensure that risks/ concerns are raised and managed appropriately.
as a result of rushing to meet time pressures (dropping/ burning products, quality
issues e.g. incorrect sized/weight products not identified pre baking etc).

Communications between the bakery and central teams i.e. commercial and
central support teams can be challenging especially in complex, distributed retail
environments and misunderstandings can result in avoidable bakery waste e.g.
last minute changes to promotions/ unplanned range changes/ high volumes of
seasonal lines etc.

1.5

HR/ Finance/ Central Bakery Team

(where appropriate)

Concerns about relative pay may also occur within ISBs because the activities of
the bakery teams (i.e. manufacturing and packaging products) differ considerably
from those in other parts of the store.

Relative waste cost (bakery vs other

departments)

Pressurised environment

Review pay scales within the bakery teams (including bonuses and any other
elements of performance related pay) and consider the impact of any discrepancies.
Where appropriate, identify ways in which to address any discrepancies.

A lack of communication between members of the same bakery team can also
result in avoidable waste e.g. across shift changes/ during days off.

Central Bakery Team/ In-store Bakery

Team/ Store Management/ HR Team
(where appropriate)

Establish clear communication channels within store teams and between store and Central Bakery Team/ In-store Bakery
central teams including the use of social media/ hotlines/ bakery support email
Team/ Store Management
addresses as appropriate.
Ensure that all relevant stakeholders are consulted in the case of unplanned and/ or
short notice changes to bakery ranges/ promotions etc.
Calculate and communicate the waste impacts of any last minute decisions.
Ensure that all staff who make decisions that can influence bakery waste have
waste-related KPIs in their performance assessment criteria.
Build awareness of the potential impact of decisions on bakery waste amongst store
and central teams
Ensure all the relevant people/ teams are involved/ informed/ consulted during the
decision making process.

Medium Term

Short Term

2. People (Bakery Team)

2.1

2.2

Resource shortages

Resource shortages caused by staff holidays, understaffing, sickness, difficulty in Review overall resourcing profiles and identify any risks/ issues.
HR/ In-Store Bakery Team/Store
recruiting and retaining skilled resources, etc. can place pressure on bakery staff Liaise with store management teams to understand any competing priorities in terms Management/ Central Bakery Team
and can result in errors that, in turn, increase bakery waste.
of bakery resourcing (e.g. why bakery resources are being moved to other
departments) and articulate impacts on bakery performance including waste levels.
Reducing waste can also reduce pressure on staff time i.e. time spent collecting, Create a contingency plan for staff shortages (anticipated e.g. holidays and
recording and disposing of waste, and the time spent producing unwanted
unanticipated e.g. sickness).
products.
Review and, where appropriate, revise training provision to help ensure that bakery
staff are sufficiently skilled to perform multiple tasks (e.g. packers helping with baking,
bakers helping with packing etc).
Consider articulating the impact of waste in terms of resourcing to help the store
teams to understand the wider implications of reducing waste e.g. a waste level of
20% is roughly equivalent to throwing away 1 product for every 5 produced and this
wasted production time could be spent more effectively elsewhere in the store/ bakery.

Medium Term

Performance issues within the bakery teams can have significant waste impacts
e.g. product quality/ process and procedure compliance. If not addressed in an
effective and timely manner, performance issues can contribute significantly to
bakery waste levels.

Medium Term

Performance issues

Review and extend communications channels to help share best practice and
transfer knowledge across the bakery teams
Review training provision and provide additional training or mentoring where
necessary.
Review performance management criteria and ensure that waste is appropriately
represented.
Ensure that performance management criteria are clearly defined and applied
consistently across all bakery operations.
Ensure that the bakery teams understand the consequences of waste on wider
business performance
Involve all relevant stakeholders in bakery performance monitoring and
management processes.
Take prompt and effective action where issues are identified.

HR/ In-Store Bakery Team/Store

Management/ Central Bakery Team

It can be difficult for staff to understand the true scale of waste when it is
communicated using traditional metrics and units i.e. percentages, values or
weights. Waste calculations may also fail to take into account the true cost of
waste and may focus solely on the amount of product wasted rather than all of
additional costs associated with making that product e.g. time/ energy/ water
etc.

2.3

Understanding of waste impacts

Build awareness of the financial, resource and environmental impacts of the waste Central Bakery Team/In-store Bakery
in terms that staff will understand (e.g. bags of waste/ waste is equivalent to "throwing Team/Store Management
1 loaf away for every x produced"/ the baguettes thrown away this year would stretch
from <location 1 e.g. the bakery premises> to <location 2 e.g. Paris>).
Incorporate waste management messaging into team meetings/ conferences/
newsletters etc. Often simple graphs and targets communicated in team huddles or on
notice boards can improve awareness and provide a focus for staff.
Using a range of easily understandable and relatable terms to frame the amount Ensure that staff are aware of their responsibilities and accountabilities with regard
of waste being generated can help bakery staff to understand the scale of the
to waste management throughout the bakery processes.
waste being produced and to realise why waste prevention and reduction is
Define a baseline and monitor performance regularly (daily/ weekly) Used
important.
appropriately, store league tables and comparisons can help staff understand how
they are performing against other stores and can help increase accountability.
Furthermore, bakery teams may be overly focused on the baking processes and
product quality and may not consider waste management (especially for finished
products) as part of their responsibility e.g. baking activities and responsibilities
finish once the products are on the shelf. (See also 2.7).

Gaps in staff training and awareness with regard to waste minimisation and
prevention can result in bakery waste.
Within ISBs, these gaps can include a lack of awareness of responsibilities vis-vis waste levels/ a lack of understanding of key activities intended to reduce
waste e.g. reworking dough/ slicing bread to extend shelf life/ incorrect waste
recording and handling etc.

Review current training and understanding levels.

Review and, where appropriate, revise existing training programmes (materials/
delivery mechanisms/ timings etc). Waste management practices should be part of
core bakery training programmes.
Where necessary, provide additional/ refresher training highlighting the waste
impact(s) of decisions made throughout the baking process. A range of training
formats should be considered including on the job training/ work shadowing/
mentoring/ traditional training courses etc.

Short Term

Central Bakery Team/In-store Bakery

Team/Store Management/ Training &
HR Teams/ Waste Prevention Teams

Short - Medium Term

In-store Bakery Team/Store

Management

Medium Term - Long

Term

Within the central teams, these gaps can also include a lack of awareness of the
impact of decisions on bakery waste in store e.g. promotion planning/
Training activities are likely to be more effective when accompanied by an increased
forecasting/ merchandising and space planning/ range management.
management focus on waste and reinforced by regular communications on waste
performance e.g. in store bulletins/ team meetings/ management briefings.
2.4

Training and awareness gaps

The provision of a support network outside the direct environment of the store bakery
teams can also have a significant impact on waste levels e.g. knowledge transfer/
sharing best practice in terms of waste reduction activities/ raising and addressing
potential issues. These support networks can take many different forms including a
central support team/ informal discussion forums (potentially social media based)/
centre(s) of excellence/ involvement with external organisations e.g. trade groups.

Low morale can be linked to a range of different issues including relative pay/
Review morale on a regular basis at an individual and team level - addressing
opportunities for career progression/ general working environment/
morale issues should be handled as part of a wider HR/ personnel activity and should
organisational culture etc. Low levels of morale may create resistance to
involve a range of key stakeholders from across the business.
addressing waste issues or changing practices especially if the proposed changes
are not perceived to be part of the roles and responsibilities of a baker.
2.5

Morale

Skilled bakers may also struggle to accept central control of production plans
where they have traditionally been responsible for developing and managing
production plans.

Bakery Managers have an pivotal role to play in terms of minimising bakery

waste and should be appropriately trained and assessed on the waste
management performance of their bakery. They should also have access to a
range of different support mechanisms to help them identify and tackle root
causes of waste within their operations.
2.6

2.7

Calibre of management

Focus on baking process

Introduce a waste reduction training programme specifically for bakery managers.

Establish/ include waste management practices in knowledge sharing networks for
bakery managers.
Utilise managers from high performing stores to train or mentor managers at low
performing stores.
Ensure waste is included and managed as part of the standard bakery manager
performance criteria.
Provide additional central support (HR/ Central Bakery Team) to support and help
develop bakery management skills and capabilities.

Central Bakery Team/In-store Bakery

Team/Store Management

In addition to focusing on baking high quality products, the bakery teams need to Ensure tools such as sales figures, production plans and reports are accessible, user Central Bakery Team/In-store Bakery
understand the implications of their behaviours in terms of waste (especially
friendly and easy to understand to allow staff/managers to rapidly access the
Team/ HR Team
over production). Whilst the production of high quality bakery products is very
information that they need.
important, overall bakery performance also needs to take into account the
Raise awareness of the importance of activities not directly related to baking and
volume and cost of waste and the contribution that the bakery makes to the
packing products and, where appropriate, provide additional support to help the
wider business. (See also 2.3)
bakery team understand and ensure that non-core processes are undertaken
effectively.
Place sufficient management focus on waste management processes.
Include waste management in KPIs and job descriptions, underpinned by SMART
targets and supported by sufficient feedback and guidance.

Medium - Long term

Medium Term

3. Equipment & Data

Too much space within a bakery (i.e. shelves and display units) can result in
overproduction and subsequently lead to inflated levels of end product waste if
bakery staff are producing items to fill the available space rather than to meet
customer demand.
3.1

3.2

3.3

3.4

Shelf space

Reports/ data

In-store Bakery Team/Store

Management/ Merchandising Team

The bakery and store management teams need accurate waste performance
Review and, where necessary, revise available reports in terms of data accuracy/
Central Bakery Team/In-Store Bakery
data in a timely manner and in a usable/ easy to understand format to allow
usability/ frequency/ duplication with other reports etc
Team/ Store Management/ Data Team/
them to rapidly understand waste performance and to identify and address any Review reports used across the management hierarchy and ensure that these are
IT Team
issues. Providing staff with meaningful information can also help raise awareness consistent in terms of performance reporting.
and motivation in terms of tackling waste.
Introduce tracking and monitoring of waste (manual or digital), broken down by
category and cause. This data can then be used to identify and address waste
hotspots on an ongoing basis. The ability to compare waste levels with production
decisions is extremely valuable in terms of understanding and tackling bakery waste.
Ensure that the bakery teams can access, and interpret the reports easily e.g. can
they be printed off?/ is all the necessary information available on a single report?/ use
of graphics?/ are they available online?/ are previous reports and performance over
time available? etc.

Short - Medium Term

Train staff on how to minimise any issues with equipment, including monitoring
equipment during production to identify where something may be going wrong as
rapidly as possible.
Ensure staff follow equipment care guidelines and are aware of their roles in
cleaning equipment and escalating any issues.
Adopt a preventative maintenance routine.
Conduct regular maintenance checks and ensure that engineers are readily
available during bakery working hours to resolve any issues.

Production planning and forecasting inaccuracies result in bakery waste and/ or

on-shelf availability issues. Forecast accuracy should therefore be monitored
closely and the root cause of any inaccuracy and the implications in terms of
waste identified. Where bakery teams are able to adjust production schedules
manually, the impact of these changes in terms of any waste generated should
also be monitored against the original production quantities and the rationale
behind the decisions to change the production schedule understood.

Clearly define roles and responsibilities in terms of forecasting demand and

Central Bakery Team/In-store Bakery
amending production schedules.
Team/Demand Planning Team
Monitor and address potential causes of inaccuracy/ forecast bias on a ongoing basis
Understand why changes are made to the production schedules and monitor the
impact of these changes in terms of waste and availability. This should be compared
with central forecast accuracy levels to understand whether the store decisions are
more or less accurate.
In cases where production is planned centrally, communicate how/ when/ why uplifts
are applied and the scale of those uplifts e.g. in category planning meetings. This
information should then be shared with the stores on a regular basis e.g. as part of the
production schedules.

Short - Medium Term

Timely and accurate data on waste performance is key to understanding what

waste is arising, the potential causes of this waste and how to tackle this. See
also 3.2. It is important that the management team (store and central) have a
good understanding of waste performance and appropriate management
information is key to the effective management of bakery waste.

Review and, where necessary, revise available management reports in terms of

Central Bakery Team/Store
data accuracy/ usability/ frequency/ duplication and/ or consistency with other
Management
performance reports.
Ensure waste management performance receives appropriate levels of management
attention and that there is a clear link between the performance reported and the
action taken at a management level.
Ensure that the management teams can access, and interpret the reports easily.

Short - Medium Term

Performance issues, if left unaddressed, can have a significant impact on bakery

waste e.g. poor quality products/ over production/ poor product handling
procedures etc. Clear objectives vis-a-vis waste management should be set for
all members of the bakery team and the performance management approach
adopted should be effective in assessing the achievement of goals and in
managing and developing performance in this area.

Review performance management criteria and ensure that waste is appropriately

HR Team/ Central Bakery Team/ Store
represented.
Management
Ensure bakery managers have the skills and tools to manage waste effectively.
Ensure that performance management criteria are clearly defined and applied
consistently across all bakery operations.
Create a clear and objective link between performance in terms of waste
management and rewards.
Involve all relevant stakeholders in bakery performance monitoring and
management processes.
Do not be afraid to deal with difficult situations and take prompt and effective action
where issues are identified.

Limited understanding of the total cost of bakery waste and the wider business
impacts of this can result in a lack of management attention on waste reduction
and prevention activities which, in turn, can have a significant impact on overall
business performance.

Calculate and report the true cost of waste regularly to the senior management
Central Bakery Team/Store
team.
Management
Build awareness amongst the senior management team of the likely waste
implications of their decisions and encourage senior management to consider waste as
a key part of the decision making process and, where appropriate, to seek guidance
from other key stakeholders.
Monitor the actual waste impacts of any major decisions and report this to the
management team.

Short - Medium Term

Poor quality ingredients and insufficiently robust packaging can result in bakery
waste both in terms of the ingredients themselves and, if quality issues are not
identified, the quality of WIP and the end product.

Understand the quality of ingredients and packaging at point of arrival in the bakery In-store Bakery Team/Store
Identify any issues and escalate to the appropriate supplier/ logistics provider e.g.
Management/ Procurement Team
product damage/ poor product quality/ remaining shelf life etc.
Ensure that ingredients are appropriately handled and stored
Review guidelines for half used packs of ingredients (handling and storage)
Rotate stock where necessary
Conduct regular stock takes and tailored ordering to ensure stock levels are aligned
with expected production rates.

Short - Medium Term

Once a product has reached the end of its shelf life it must be discarded as
waste. Managing shelf life appropriately can therefore make a considerable
different to waste levels.

Review current processes and identify points at which product shelf life can be
extended. For example, slicing loaves of bread allows the bread to be sealed and
extends the shelf life by a day.
Introduce new processes where appropriate or ensure the existing processes are
appropriately embedded.

It should be noted that, in some cases, decisions made at a local level may be a
more accurate reflection of actual demand and may avoid rather than generate
bakery waste.

In-store Bakery Team/Store

Management/ Central Bakery Team

Short - Medium Term

Bakery equipment is sourced and calibrated to provide saleable products.

Equipment issues (faults rather than misuse) can have a significant impact on
bakery waste at all stages of the production process i.e. ingredients/ work in
progress/ finished products.. Equipment issues can relate to ovens, bakery plant,
provers, slicing machines and freezers.
Equipment performance issues

Production schedule changes

Review available shelf space and display units and compare with expected bakery
sales volumes. Product shelf life should also be considered.
Where necessary, re-configure/ reduce available space e.g. removing shelves and/
or display units or by utilising space for other, non-bakery lines.
In some instances, it may also be possible to amend merchandising guidelines to
reduce the amount of product being produced predominantly for display purposes.

Short term

Care should be taken to ensure that planning decisions are not duplicated by the
central and local teams e.g. weather related uplifts applied automatically by the
demand forecasting algorithms and again manually by the bakery teams.

4. Management (Store/ Central/ HR)

4.1

4.2

4.3

Management reporting on waste

performance

Performance management approach

Understanding of waste impacts

Management decisions can have a profound impact on waste generation.

Managers, therefore, need to be in a position to assess and evaluate the waste
implications of any given decision.

Medium Term

5. Products and Ingredients

5.1

Ingredient/ packaging quality

(including shelf life)

5.2

Shelf life (end product)

5.3

Waste can be generated as a result of inappropriate lot sizes/ minimum order

quantities and/ or frequencies which result in ingredients being ordered and used
in greater quantities than required to meet demand. For example, in the case of
pre-mixed ingredients, pack sizes that are greater than the amount required to
Ingredient lot sizes/ minimum order
produce a batch of product mean that the surplus ingredients need to be either
quantities/ order frequencies
stored and then used or discarded.

End product quality

5.5

Production batch sizes

Product range/ SKU proliferation

Medium term

Central Bakery Team/In-store Bakery

Team

Short term

Rigid production batch sizes may mean that one batch is insufficient whereas two Create smaller or modifiable batch sizes and make processes simple and time
batches result in overproduction and meeting demand therefore results in waste. efficient for staff to alter the standard batch size (e.g. providing ingredient guides for
half batches)

Central Bakery Team/In-store Bakery

Team

Short term

Large and complex product ranges can result in increases in waste levels. For
example, some products in the range may repeatedly underperform in terms of
sales however standard production batch sizes may be required. Additionally
multiple, similar products may cause confusion amongst customers/ compete for
sales etc.
5.6

Understand existing ingredient lot sizes and match with production requirements
Central Bakery Team/ Category Team/
e.g. batch sizes. Where discrepancies are identified these should be discussed with the Procurement Team
relevant suppliers and/ or options for making partial batches should be considered.
Consider the impacts of any other supply constraints on ingredient waste levels e.g.
shelf life issues due to minimum order quantities.
Work with the procurement team and suppliers to address any issues.

Medium term

Introduce quality controls at each stage of the baking process to minimise the risk
of a product being baked that is not of the required quality e.g. identifying soft rolls
which are too small when in dough form.

Failure to meet specified quality standards (e.g. size/ texture) results in waste.
5.4

Central Bakery Team/In-store Bakery

Team/Store Management

It should be noted that high wasting lines are not necessarily those at the tail of
the product range in terms of sales. Mid-selling or high selling lines may also
have unacceptably high waste levels for a number of different reasons.

Analyse waste by product line to identify items that consistently underperform.

Central Bakery Team/ Category Team
Graphical representations of waste by line can be very useful for this task.
Understand whether waste is related to overproduction/ low sales/ other factors. In
the case of overproduction, production plans should be adjusted. Batch sizes should
also be reviewed (see also 5.5). In the case of low sales, further investigation is
required as to whether the product in question should be included within a specific
store range or within the bakery range more widely.
Review bakery range and manage SKUs/ remove unprofitable lines on a regular
basis.

Medium term

6. Processes

6.1

Production sequencing and

changeovers

6.2

Production schedule changes

6.3

Ingredient ordering

Waste often arises during the changeover from one line to another e.g. where the Understand the product range and component ingredients and identify where dough Central Bakery Team/ In Store Bakery
remaining dough from a given batch is insufficient to make a full product and
can be reworked into other products.
Team
cannot be used in the production of the following line.
Map out potential production sequences to maximise ingredient usage and minimise
product changeovers e.g. white bread > brown bread > wholemeal bread > seeded
bread.
Review and, where possible, simplify the product range and standardise the
ingredients used.
Ensure that best practice production sequencing is understood by the bakery teams

see 3.4
Where ingredient ordering is not directly linked to the production plan ingredients Review the ingredient ordering process including ingredient lot sizes/ minimum
may be over ordered and this can result in avoidable waste especially in the case order quantities/ order frequency.
of items with a short shelf life.
Advise staff on the importance of placing accurate ingredient orders.
Conduct regular stock takes
Provide guidance on appropriate levels of safety stock.
Standardise ingredients wherever possible.
Consider automating ingredient ordering processes

Central Bakery Team/ In Store Bakery

Team

Short Term

Short Term

Merchandising guidelines should establish a balance between the bakery looking

attractive to customers in order to generate sales whilst at the same time
minimising waste. In some instances, merchandising guidelines/ requirements
can result in over production of bakery items e.g. having a full rack of baguettes
or croissants until store closing time is likely to result in significant end product
waste.
6.4

Merchandising guidelines

Unsold products

Short Term

Review current practices for handling unsold products and understand how these
In-Store Bakery Team/ Store
are being applied in practice e.g. should unsold bakery products be written off or
Management/ Central Bakery Team
reduced? At what point in the day should reductions be applied? etc.
Understand the financial implications of waste recording i.e. cost or retail price. The
impact of this on overall bakery performance and, in the case of ISBs, on wider store
performance should also be considered.
Work with the bakery and store management teams to understand the implications
of RTC activities e.g. are high numbers of RTC products cannibalising full price sales?/
is this influencing consumer purchasing behaviours? etc.

Short Term

This is an area where there is also scope for differences of opinion between
various teams in terms of 'what good looks like' with regard to the amount of
products on the bakery shelves at various points in the day.

Reducing bakery items towards the end of the day to sell them off can encourage
consumers to delay purchases/ change their buying patterns in order to buy
discounted products. Reduce to clear (RTC) lines can therefore have a significant
impact on demand for full price products and perpetuate to the need to reduce
bakery items.

6.5

Discuss actual and applied merchandising guidelines with bakery and store
Central Bakery Team/ In Store Bakery
manager teams including what this means the bakery will look like at various times
Team/ Merchandising Team/ Store
throughout the day.
Management
Where expectations re: merchandising vary, waste and on-shelf availability
implications should be discussed and merchandising guidelines revised or reiterated as
appropriate.

The way in which unsold products are recorded can also have an impact on
bakery waste figures e.g. whether unsold products are recorded at cost or retail
price.
RTC is a tactic for avoiding bakery waste however it can also contribute to it. The
waste implications of how unsold products are handled therefore need to be
understood and clear guidance provided.

Last minute changes to planned promotions and/ or inaccurate promotional

forecasts can generate significant bakery waste (ingredient and end product)
and/ or availability issues.

6.6

6.7

6.8

6.9

Promotion planning

Range changes

Process compliance

Waste management practices

Establish clear communication channels between store and central teams with
regard to promotional activities
Define processes for handling last minute promotional changes across all relevant
bakery formats e.g. scratch and bake-off.
Ensure that central and store teams understand the potential impact of their
decisions on bakery waste and know who else needs to be involved/ informed/
consulted during the decision making process.
Calculate and communicate the waste impacts of any last minute decisions.
Ensure that all staff involved in making promotional changes which can influence
bakery waste have waste-related KPIs included in their performance assessment
criteria.

Category Management & Promotion

Planning Teams/ Central Bakery Team/
Store Bakery Team

Short - Medium Term

Changes to the bakery product range (both planned and unplanned) can have a
Establish clear communication channels between store and central teams with
Central Bakery Team/ Category
significant impact on bakery waste, for example, where specific ingredients have regard to range management activities
(Ranging) Team
been purchased prior to a product being removed from the range.
Define processes for handling last minute range changes (de-lists/ introductions).
Ensure that the central teams understand the potential impact of their decisions on
bakery waste and are aware of who else needs to be involved/ informed/ consulted
during the decision making process.
Calculate and communicate the waste impacts of any last minute range changes.
Ensure that all staff involved in making range changes which can influence bakery
waste have waste-related KPIs included in their performance assessment criteria.

Short - Medium Term

Where processes have been defined to minimise waste and to ensure that any
Build staff understanding of the importance of processes and why they are in place Central Bakery Team/ In Store Bakery
waste is handled appropriately, it is essential that these are followed by all
Monitor process compliance and review bakery processes on a regular basis.
Team/ Store Management
members of the bakery teams. Failure to comply with such processes can have a Understand and tackle the root cause(s) of any process non-compliance e.g. are
considerable impact on waste.
existing processes too complex and/or time consuming?/ is insufficient information
available?/ are there any training gaps? etc.

Short - Medium Term

Waste should be managed in accordance to the waste hierarchy i.e. preventing

Create a waste prevention action plan and embed waste prevention in to practices
waste from arising in the first place is of greatest value. If waste is not
and processes.
prevented, it should be managed appropriately and the best recycling or
Where waste cannot be prevented, arrange for a waste management contract to
recovery option should be identified. In the case of bakery waste, this includes
dispose of waste appropriately. This could be provided as an add-on to an existing
sending waste to animal feed or food redistribution network, anaerobic digestion contract.
and composting.
Monitor and report waste (weight and cost) on an ongoing basis.

Short - Medium Term

Sending waste to animal feed or redistribution counts towards the Courtauld

target. This can also provide an additional revenue stream. It should be noted
that such options require the introduction of robust waste handling mechanisms
e.g. segregating waste to ensure that products containing animal by-products are
not sent for conversion into animal feed.
Reducing the amount of surplus sent for redistribution or animal feed does NOT
count towards the Courtauld target as it is not considered a waste (i.e. it is being
consumed which is the original purpose of the food).

Central Bakery Team/ Waste

Prevention Team/ In Store Bakery
Team/ Finance Team

Courtauld Commitment 3: Bakery Waste Analysis Template

#
Ref No.

Focus Area and Root Cause

Description

Areas identified as key focus areas. Focus areas to be added/ deleted Include description of each focus area including specific implications
based on the specific requirements of the bakery operation in question for the bakery operation in question

1. Environment/ Working Conditions

Relative bakery pay
1.1
Multiple and/ or conflicting management requirements
1.2
Relative waste cost (bakery vs other departments)
1.3
Pressurised environment
1.4
1.5
Communications between the bakery and central teams
1.6

1.7

1.8

1.9

2. People (Bakery Team)

Resource shortages
2.1
Performance issues
2.2
Understanding of waste impacts
2.3
Training and awareness gaps
2.4
Low morale
2.5
Calibre of management
2.6
Focus on baking process
2.7
2.8

2.9

3. Equipment & Data

Shelf space
3.1
Reports/ data
3.2
Equipment performance issues
3.3
Production schedule changes
3.4
3.5

3.6

3.7

3.8

3.9

4. Management (Store/ HR)

Management reporting on waste performance
4.1
Performance management approach
4.2
Understanding of waste impacts
4.3
4.4

4.5

4.6

4.7

4.8

4.9

5. Materials
Ingredient/ packaging quality (including shelf life)
5.1
Shelf life - end product
5.2
5.3
Ingredient lot sizes/ minimum order quantities/ order
frequencies
End product quality
5.4
Production batch sizes
5.5
Product range/ SKU proliferation
5.6
5.7

5.8

5.9

6. Processes
Production sequencing and changeovers
6.1
Production schedule changes
6.2
Ingredient ordering
6.3
Merchandising guidelines
6.4
Unsold products
6.5
Promotion planning
6.6
Range changes
6.7
Process compliance
6.8
Waste management
6.9

Resolution Timeframe
(short/ medium/ long term)

Impact
(High/ Medium/ Low)

Priority (H/M/L)

Owner

Identify the timeframe for the resolution of the root cause

Identify the impact of the focus area on bakery waste in the
Identify the priority of the focus area in question taking into
Named owner of the activities required to address the focus
identified (i.e. short, medium or long term). This information, bakery in question (Red - High/ Amber - Moderate/ Green account waste impacts and other potential considerations e.g. area in question. Should be a single, named individual
together with the likely impact (column F) and priority
Low). This information, together with the resolution
restructuring activities/ process change programmes/ data
wherever possible
(column G) can be used to help prioritise proposed activities. timeframes (column E) and priority (column G) can be used to availability etc.
help prioritise proposed activities.

Next Steps
Outline key next steps to tackle the root cause identified

Additional Comments
Include additional comments/ notes relevant to the focus
area/ proposed activities etc. e.g. work done to date/ wider
changes that may impact activities etc.

Courtauld Commitment 3: Bakery Waste Fishbone Diagram