“Fairness” in Agrifood Systems as Marketing Strategy to Reduce Food Waste by 2027

The complexity of modern agri-food systems, characterized by globalized supply chains and diverse stakeholders, amplifies the risk of waste and increasingly shapes market perceptions and value creation dynamics. Food loss and waste remain a critical challenge, impacting environmental sustainability, economic efficiency, and social equity, as well as consumer trust and brand legitimacy. This study explores the strategic role of fairness in supply chain management (SCM) within the Portuguese agrifood sector, focusing on its potential as a governance and value-signalling factor to achieve ambitious food waste reduction goals by 2027. Fairness could be seeing as a mechanism that enhances transparency, fosters equitable relationships, and mitigates opportunistic behaviours across the supply chain, thereby reinforcing reputational capital and shared value. To address the complexity and future orientation inherent in this topic, and its implications for long-term market positioning, the Delphi method was selected, supported in 24 experts, from Academic, Public and Private sectors. Through successive rounds of structured questionnaires, expert opinions were solicited, evaluated, and refined to forecast two interrelated trajectories for Portugal by 2027: i) local procurement for institutional settings, specifically that all public and private schools will be predominantly supplied by local, certified sustainable producers, strengthening place-based value propositions; and ii) a national food waste reduction to 15% of national production, contributing to competitive differentiation at the sectoral level. The expert panel indicated strong confidence in achieving both projections. Crucially, the target reduction of food waste to 15% received the strongest consensus (mean 4.4; standard deviation 0.6), reinforcing the plausibility and communicability of this goal. The findings suggest that fairness-driven policies and practices can significantly contribute to achieving national food waste reduction goals, offering actionable guidance for managers and clear implications for governance, operational processes, sustainability, and marketing and communication strategies that enhance legitimacy and stakeholder trust.DOI: https://doi.org/10.54663/2182-9306.2026.SpecialIssueCMTH.56-77