The impact of expiration date tracking software in grocery stores : A task-technology fit review of information systems used for date-checking in grocery stores

Sammanfattning: Each year, 1.3 billion tons of food produced for human consumption are lost or go to waste globally throughout the food supply chain (FSC). Increasing the efficiency of the entire FSC is an essential action in achieving food security for the global population, which includes reducing the amount of food lost and wasted. This thesis aims to contribute with rich insight into if and how contemporary information systems in grocery stores, which are part of the FSC, are supporting expiration date tracking and if they are contributing to reducing food waste. The study was carried out as a case study in three grocery stores, applying the task-technology fit model as its theoretical framework to guide the study and analyze the empirical results. The study found that the expiration date tracking systems in the grocery stores supported them in tracking expiration dates considering the measurements of task-technology fit since they sufficiently support and fulfill the needs of the users’ tasks, but that there is still room for improvement. The study also found that, according to the users’ perceptions, the grocery stores using expiration date tracking systems were able to prevent more food waste when using the systems in comparison to if they would not have been used.