Selling Suboptimal Food: A Systematic Literature Review of Marketing Actions and Outcomes from a Retailer-Centered Perspective

Abstract

Suboptimal food – edible products deviating from standard norms in appearance, date labeling, or packaging – is often rejected by consumers, contributing to food waste at the point of sale. Retailers can play a decisive role in mitigating this waste by actively selling and marketing suboptimal food. However, retailers face a lack of systematic knowledge on the various marketing actions they can implement and their contextual effectiveness. This paper presents a systematic literature review that adopts a retailer-centered perspective and synthesizes research on consumer perceptions and retail outcomes of selling suboptimal food, the effectiveness of retail marketing actions, and the role of contextual influences. Building on this synthesis, the paper provides actionable insights for retailers and identifies promising avenues for future research.