Survey on fresh vegetables' losses in the retail market of Mineiros, Goiás State, Brazil

Abstract

In the present work a survey was carried out to determine the fresh vegetables losses at the retail market in Mineiros County, Goiás State, Brazil, to supply information that may contribute to specific actions to improve the quality and availability of vegetables at the local market. The survey was carried out at retail outlets (eight supermarkets, two grocery stores and one street market) from December 2005 to January 2006. A questionnaire with questions about the weekly amount of losses in vegetables, the main cause of postharvest losses and the main internal and external strategies to reduce postharvest losses of fresh vegetables was applied in the retail shops. Tomato, watermelon, carrot, potato, and cabbage had the highest losses. Supermarkets, grocery stores and the street market showed discrepancy among loss percentages: 1.9, 4.2, and 21.5%; respectively. The main causes for losses were excess in the vegetable offer by retail market and environmental conditions. The stock control is the main strategy to be provided in order to decrease losses, and prices reduction by wholesale market was related to be the main external providence to be taken in order to decrease vegetable losses.