If most food waste comes from producers and the consumer, how can the retailers reduce it? By framing the imperfect food as more natural or by providing a price discount in their stores, groceries can take a significant step in not just reducing food waste, but changing perception among consumers. Consumers’ attitudes towards imperfect food is the barrier that must be overcome to make a significant reduction in food waste. In San Francisco, the store chain Maxi, is seeking to reduce produce waste in their stores in half by 2025 through price reductions on imperfect food. While discounting the imperfect food might not be the best long-term solution for reducing food waste, it can still help change the public discourse around imperfect food in the immediate future by normalizing the consumption of cosmetically nonstandard produce. 

Marie-Ève Ducharme — Published September 16, 2021 "A recent study showed that suboptimal food can be more interesting for consumers either with a price reduction or with positive framing." The Link Newspaper - https://thelinknewspaper.ca/article/how-can-grocers-play-a-role-in-reducing-food-waste