[Ammi]

Tesco is to give away food for free to shoppers as it races to slash waste and hit net zero targets.

The company will introduce “yellow sticker” prices of £0 for food that is about to go out of date. At present, discounts are typically limited to 90pc.

Bosses are testing the change in a small number of Express stores for shoppers who visit after 9.30pm, in a trial aimed at slashing food waste as part of its net zero targets.

It comes after a boom in demand for discounted food across supermarkets, with sales of yellow sticker items soaring as shoppers battle a jump in prices.

Figures from Barclays in 2023 suggested that almost two thirds of households were buying discounted products.

Tesco aims to give unsold food to charities, but some of it has instead been used to generate gas that can be burned for energy – a process counted as waste.

In an internal memo, seen by The Telegraph, Tesco said it would still be giving some food to charities, while staff will also get priority for yellow sticker items that had been reduced earlier in the day.

However, under the trial, any leftover food which is still in stores in the run-up to closing time which is marked “Reduced to Clear” will be available for customers to take home for free.

Tesco told staff the move would allow it to “continue with our drive to reduce food waste within our own operations”.

It added that it expected stores to be throwing away less at the end of the day following the Express store changes.

It comes just over a year after Tesco faced a major setback in efforts to slash its food waste.

Last February, the supermarket was forced to put out revised figures on how much progress it had made on cutting food waste, after it emerged that a company it had been working with was using food for anaerobic digestion – a process where the food is allowed to decompose in the absence of oxygen, generating gas that can be burned as fuel.

At the time, Claire Lorains, Tesco’s group quality, technical and sustainability director, said: “While anaerobic digestion can have a role in recovery of energy and avoids food going to landfill, under the food waste hierarchy, we count food going to anaerobic digestion as waste.”

Tesco ended the tie-up with the food waste processor involved.

However, it said this meant it had cut food waste by just 18pc between early 2017 and 2023, instead of the 45pc it had believed.

Tesco has a target to cut its food waste by 50pc by 2025 as part of a wider net zero push. The company said in its last annual report that it was keeping this “ambitious” target, which is partly used to help determine the level of share-based bonus for Ken Murphy, its chief executive.

A spokesman for Tesco said: “We are constantly looking for innovative new ways to reduce food waste. In all our stores we offer unsold surplus food to charities and community groups, donating millions of meals each month.

“This trial, in a small number of our Express stores, will allow customers to take any remaining yellow stickered items for free at the end of the day, after they have first been offered to charities and colleagues.”

[Quantum Boy]

Obviously the sensible and moral thing to do (though it's not why they're doing it of course) - the amount of food that's thrown in dumpsters while people go hungry is shameful.

[Gusto Brunt]

Where I live I sometimes look in the huge supermarket industrial bins, just to see what they're throwing out.

I see bottles of whiskey, wine, all broken - so as to stop anyone taking the bottles.

I see pasties, bread, cakes, all in among the broken glass. Perfectly edible food thrown out because it's gone 1 day over its 'use by' date. MADNESS.

I once spoke to an Iceland employee who told me I'd be shocked how much good food and drink is thrown out, that could be given away. It runs into thousands of pounds each week. Again, insane.

So I welcome this news from Tesco.

[Vanessa]

We have the same problem at our factory. A lot of waste. Hey should give it to charities to make food for the poor Its still perfectly edible, just out of date.

[arista]

Ammi put after 9:30PM on your bloody Title
will you

This a few Express Stores who by 9:30PM
can not sell reduced food.


15seconds on Ch5HD news LIVE
was better than your Fat thread.

Also List the Express Stores
that will do it please.

[arista]

Thank you for adding 9:30PM
to your title

As that will rule at many
that will not bother

[Redway]

Originally Posted by Quantum Boy

Obviously the sensible and moral thing to do (though it's not why they're doing it of course) - the amount of food that's thrown in dumpsters while people go hungry is shameful.

it is.

[arista]

[November 9 in a London store]

[arista]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...cut-waste.html

[Ammi]

Originally Posted by arista

Thank you for adding 9:30PM
to your title

As that will rule at many
that will not bother

…..

[James]

Tesco use the Olio app to distribute end of Use-by and Best-before food just now. I wonder if they will stop that now, or limit it to bakery items (which are more difficult to get rid of).