Feed it Back
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Our approach

In 2017, we set a target to reduce our food waste per store by 25% by 2020 and 50% by 2030, aligned with the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 12.3.

As part of this we felt it was more important than ever to make our food waste data publicly available. Not only does the data give us a clear understanding of how much food waste we produce, and where it comes from, it also helps our customers, suppliers, and a wide range of organisations that are all working to reduce food loss.

View our progress on tackling food surplus and waste here.

As part of our approach we are taking the following structured steps to ensure that we minimise our food surplus by preventing it in the first instance and, when we can’t, we’ll work to get it redistributed. To help us do this we’ve launched the following programmes:

Feed It Back: Whist we are working to minimise our food surplus there are inevitably instances where we are unable to sell all the food that has been delivered to our stores. For us, it’s important that this food surplus is redistributed to good causes. That’s why, in 2017, we launched our national food redistribution programme called Feed It Back.

Waste Not: Most recently we have introduced Too Good to Waste boxes, containing items that are no longer considered at their perfect best, but are still perfectly good to eat. These are now available in all our stores up until midday, while stocks last.

Supply chain – A whole chain approach

We know that the greater proportion of food waste is generated in our supply chain rather than our stores. Led by WRAP and the IGD (Institute of Grocery Distribution), we are among the retailers joining food manufacturers and food service businesses to launch the Food Waste Reduction Roadmap. With a commitment to reduce food waste by 50% by 2030 (in line with SDG 12.3), we are playing our part in stores, but more importantly, with our key suppliers, to do the same.

As part of this we conduct Whole Chain Food Waste programmes to identify food surplus and waste ‘hotspots’, upstream and downstream, in the value chain, complete a root cause analysis, review findings, and prioritise solutions to trial.

This approach supports suppliers, to identify and reduce their own food waste to improve efficiency of resources and facilitate potential cost savings.

Why are we using this approach?

  • Critically analyses each stage of the value chain
  • Highlights interrelated stages in chain
  • Collaborative approach
  • Experienced previous success
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