Food waste
Best practices
Surplus food from grocery stores to charities
Shared table... a shared cause A network for collection and centralised logistics of surplus food from grocery chains helps different charities It means more reliable food waste collection through pooled logistics solutions In Vantaa, Finland a logistics network has been developed for collecting and...
Best practices
Bioethanol and animal feed from bread spill of grocery stores
Bread salvagers Bread surplus from a Finnish grocery trading cooperative is used to produce bioethanol and animal feed Leftovers are collected from over 50 stores and bakeries in and around Helsinki The Helsinki Cooperative Society Elanto - or HOK-Elanto - is a grocery trading cooperative operating...
Best practices
Food waste turned into bioenergy for food manufacturers
Closing loops Inedible food waste from Finnish grocery stores is collected and made into biogas Biogas is then used by the food manufacturer partners of the company Kesko is the second-biggest operator in the Finnish grocery trade with a market share of approximately 37.2 %. Unsold products from...
Best practices
Priorities in managing food waste
Retailers should set a list of priorities to optimise how they manage food waste. The highest priority should be to sell to the customer before the use-by date, but sometimes this is not possible or products are damaged during handling. In these cases, a variety of options are available, including...
Best practices
Supermarket reduces food waste by selection management
K's choice Targeted software and methods allow a Finnish grocery store to substantially reduce food waste in all departments Thousands of euros saved by reducing food waste over only a couple of months The Finnish National Waste Plan to 2030 aims to promote food waste reduction through fostering a...
Best practices
Longer opening hours reduced food waste at Lidl Finland
Peak planning, peak performance... Extended opening hours reduce demand fluctuations, resulting in better forecasting New system monitors demand and improves forecast-based planning and food-waste reporting At Lidl Finland, longer opening hours were tested first in 20 different stores, following...
Best practices
Meant to be tasted, not wasted
Retailer reduces food loss with customers on-board Finnish grocery stores actively communicate to customers about their food waste management efforts, encouraging them to reduce household food waste too Active communication and customer outreach in matters of enviromental responsibility can...
Best practices
Utilising food waste from grocery retail
Food waste should primarily be reduced to a minimum. However, some food waste will inevitably be generated. Stores can then look for ways to put unsold groceries to use. Food residues from the grocery trade can be either edible or non-edible. Edible food waste includes products that have passed...
Best practices
Reducing food waste improves profitability of grocery retail
When groceries end up as waste, the entire economic input used to produce and transport them is lost. In Finland, the value of food waste in the retail grocery sector has been estimated to be 1.5 % of the total sales value. For grocery stores, food waste even causes additional work costs, when the...
Best practices
Preventing spoilage and waste in the food retail sector
Food retailers tread a fine line when it comes to having enough stock to satisfy their customers but keeping spoilage and waste to a minimum. Some best practices can help retailers prevent food waste and improve information in the supply chain: Suppliers/contractors: Minimise food waste by...
Best practices
Leading on resource efficiency, Welsh government
Tackling food waste as a priority Welsh government explored ways to reduce food and packaging waste Tackling food waste alone saves more than 16 tonnes of CO2 and over € 4 000 (£ 3 600) in costs per year The Welsh government employs around 5 500 staff and provides catering services at 10 of its 38...
Best practices
Surplus food redistribution
Food redistribution is where surplus items, which would otherwise end up as waste, are made available for other uses and consumption. Companies, charities and individuals can all benefit from the redistribution of surplus food. There are many organisations that will help match surplus food with...