Tesco to Cut Food Waste with Fewer Multi-Buys for Salad & Changes to Bakeries

Hertfordshire, UK based supermarket giant, Tesco has unveiled new food waste figures for its operations and supply chain, alongside figures that show 68% of bagged salad is wasted and 35% of food waste is generated by households. The company said that as a first step in reducing this waste, it will end ‘multi-buy’ offers on large bags of salad and is developing mix-and-match promotions for smaller bags in a bid to help customers reduce the amount they are wasting at home. Bagged salad is just one of the 25 bestselling grocery products that the supermarket said it has tracked from farm to fork to gain a detailed understanding of where food waste occurs. The company said that the figures also revealed: 40% of apples are wasted, with just over a quarter of that waste occurring in the home. Tesco said that it is involved in trials with growers to reduce pests and disease, as well as giving customers simple tips on how to store apples to help them last longer. Just under half of bakery items are wasted. The supermarket said that it has now changed how its bakeries are run in over 600 stores to minimise waste and is sharing tips with customers about how to use leftover bread. A quarter of grapes are wasted between the vine and the fruit bowl, with the majority of that waste happening in the home. To address this, the retailer explained that it is working with producers to trial new varieties of grapes that have a longer life. It is also working directly with suppliers to shorten the time it takes food to get from the field to the store. A fifth of all bananas are wasted and one in ten bananas bought by customers end up in the bin. To tackle this, Tesco (LSE: TSCO) said that it has introduced a new state-of-the-art temperature control system to ensure bananas last longer in transportation and ‘Love Banana’ training for colleagues in store to show customers how to make them last longer. “We’ve all got a responsibility to tackle food waste and there is no quick-fix single solution. Little changes can make a big difference, like storing fruit and veg in the right way,” commented Matt Simister, commercial director of group food at Tesco. “Families are wasting an estimated £700 a year and we want to help them keep that money in their pockets, rather than throwing it in the bin,” he continued. Richard Swannell, director at Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) added: “Food waste is a global issue and collaborative action is essential if we are to successfully reduce food waste and reap the financial and environmental benefits of doing so.” Tesco said that with the publication of its new food waste figures it has become the first major UK retailer to reveal the levels of food waste across its entire UK operations. The data revealed that in the first six months of this year 28,500 tonnes of food waste were generated in Tesco stores and distribution centres. The last figures published by WRAP in 2011 estimated that 15 million tonnes of food waste is generated per year in the UK. Tesco added that it is using the data to make changes to its own processes and cut food waste. For example, it said that ‘display until’ dates are being removed from fresh fruit and vegetables, smaller cases are being used in store and 600 bakeries in larger stores have been rearranged to reduce the amount of bread on display, leading to better stock control and less waste. Read More Landfill Gas & Anaerobic Digestion to Fuel Tesco's Trucks Tesco is to fuel 35 of its Mercedes dual fuel vehicles using Bio-LNG, a mixture of landfill gas, biogas from anaerobic digestion facilities and natural gas. Norfolk Waste to Energy Project Loses £169m Government Funding Defra has withdrawn its £169 million waste infrastructure credit from a waste to energy and recycling facility planned near Kings Lynn, Norfolk. Work on Biogas Waste to Energy Facility at MBT Plant in Yorks Set to Start Kirk Environmental, is to begin construction of an anaerobic digestion facility at a new Mechanical Biological Treatment facility in Manvers, South Yorkshire. RECOUP Design for Recycling Guidelines for Plastic Packaging Manufacturers An updated guide which aims to improve the recyclability of plastic packaging products through improved design practices has been published by RECOUP.