WASTE REDUCTION PRACTICES AND SUSTAINABLE OPERATIONS OF FOOD AND BEVERAGE COMPANIES IN SOUTH-SOUTH NIGERIA

The study investigated waste reduction practices and sustainable operations of food and beverage companies in South-South Nigeria. The specific objective is to examine the effect of lead time on customer satisfaction and examine the effect of waste reduction on commitment of food and beverage companies in South-South Nigeria. The researcher made use of primary source of data. The total population of the study was one thousand five hundred and ten (1510). The sample size was four hundred and twenty-nine (429) derived from Godden (2004) formula. A purposive sampling technique was adopted. Pearson correlation coefficient and regression model was used to test the hypotheses of the study. A total number of three hundred and fifty eight (358) questionnaire was administer to the respondents at the selected foods and beverage firms  in South-South, Nigeria seventy-one (71) questionnaire were lost with the percentage ratio of 16.6%, while three hundred and fifty eight (358) questionnaire were retrieved with the percentage ratio of 83.4% which was suitable for the study to carry out the analysis. The findings of the study found out that there is a positive significant relationship between lead time on customer satisfaction of food and beverage companies in South-South Nigeria. Waste reduction has a significant effect on commitment of food and beverage companies in South-South Nigeria. The study concluded that organizations that adopt lean management practices often experience improved quality, increased efficiency, reduced costs, and higher customer satisfaction. The study recommended that food and beverage companies should reduce lead time by streamlining order processing, improving kitchen workflow, and using technology such as real-time tracking this will help to improve efficiency in the organization.