So we need the supermarket chains to invade the Global South then

From the latest IPCC report on climate change the Guardian plucks this policy necessity:

Finally, reducing food waste will be vital, as globally one-third of all food produced for human consumption is wasted. In poor countries in the global south, the lack of refrigeration is also a key factor in wasting food before it can be consumed, and is worth investment.

As the FAO constantly reminds us it’s not, in fact, rich world households wasting food by allowing it to rot in the refrigerator. It’s actually the vast quantity of food that rots in poor countries in the collection and distribution systems. That lack of refrigeration mentioned being only a part of it.

Yes, this is indeed something we both should and could do something about.

One way of modelling a supermarket is that it’s a logistics chain. The shop itself is only the front end - it’s managing the entire supply chain from the field that is really the economic activity being undertaken. Therefore the solution is obvious. The Global South should allow the global experts, the supermarket chains, to enter their economies. If we must really contribute to this, by “investment”, then we can subsidise their entry into those markets.

Of course, this isn’t what The Guardian actually desires but it is the solution to the identified problem. Such a pity they’ll be horrified when this is pointed out to them. This really is one of those problems that global capitalism and free markets will solve.