The activity of food chain Tesco on food waste reduction is exemplary

Tesco Europe has published its report on the amount of food surplus and waste generated during its operation for the financial year 2016/2017. The chain stores has published such data first from the sector representatives in the Central European region, for it is convinced that transparency and measurement are indispensable to taking even more effective steps to reduce waste.

According to Tesco Europe’s (including Czech, Polish, Slovakian and Hungarian stores) aggregated data, the supermarket chain sold a total of 3 325 675 tons of food during the fiscal year 2016/2017 and 60 918 tons of food surplus and scrap produced during its operation. Out of the excess 8143 tons of food were donated at regional level to the needy and recommended for animal shelters and for feeding.

In 2014, the supermarket chain launched its Store Food Rescue Program (awarded with the Hungarian Business Responsibility Award in 2017 and on the National Food and Agriculture Exhibition and Fair (OMÉK) for the Prevention of Food Waste in 2017), whereby the staff members of participating stores collect all non-viable food at the end of working day and deliver it to those in need through the help of Hungarian Food Bank Association and its partner organizations.

In addition, Tesco introduced also its program ‘Perfectly Imperfect’ in 2017 in 112 hungarian hypermarkets, that will help its suppliers reduce the amount of food waste produced on the producer’s side. Since the program had started, 286,000 kilos of vegetables and fruit have been saved from throwing away.