Resumo

It is estimated that about 25-33% of all food produced in the world is lost or wasted (FAO, 2013) from initial agricultural production down to final household consumption (Gustavsson et al., 2011). Most of the waste tend to occur in the agricultural and post-harvest activities of the chain at developing countries and at near consumption in developed countries (Ciccatiello et al., 2016; Gustavsson et al., 2011; Parfitt et al., 2010). It is estimates that from 5% to 17% of that waste is produced at the retail and distribution level (Ciccatiello et al, 2016; FAO 2014).

Considering that: a) Brazil is one of the largest food producers in the world; b) CEAGESP representativeness as wholesaler; c) CEAGESP promotes a wide interaction among several stakeholders in the food supply supply; d) coordination mechanisms between different stakeholders are important to food loss and waste reduction; e) 2030 Agenda goals; the present research intends to contribute to practice and theory through analysing the following research question: How do coordination mechanisms can prevent food waste at CEAGESP?

Coordination is considered as a key issue in supply chain management (Kanda & Deshmukh, 2008) and performance (Handayati, Simatupang & Perdana, 2015). This paper adopts the framework proposed by Ghosh & Fedorowicz (2008) in relation to supply chain coordination and governance framework. The framework departs from the understanding that coordination is needed to guarantee both the timely flow of information and of materials, which are reflected in the supply chain performance.

Data collection occurred from March 2018 to April 2019, through site observation, in- depth interviews and secondary data collection at CEAGESP. Primary data collection was performed in 3 stages, described in Table (PDF). A field diary was carried out and photos were taken. Except for step 2, all interviews were recorded and transcribed. In addition, secondary data were collected from websites, scientific papers and online publications. The gathered data was analyzed by content analysis.

While the framework used indicates the influence of governance mechanisms in the coordination of the supply chain, our findings indicate that it is a bilateral relationship: governance influences coordination, but coordination also exerts influence on governance. Positive influence probably is mediated by collaboration and learning, impacting on a better supply chain performance. This leads food waste reduction or prevention, but probably this result can be extended to other situations.

This article contributes to the literature by relating coordination mechanisms and governance structures. Practical implications: Managerially it contributes by presenting opportunities to reduce food losses and waste through supply chain governance and coordination.

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