Supermarkets once again threw away less food last year, according to calculations made by Wageningen University and Research on behalf of the Together Against Food Waste foundation. Supermarkets are on track to meet their target of halving food waste by 2030 compared to 2015, according to researchers.
Martijntje Vollebregt from Wageningen University described the result as “promising”. “If this percentage reduction in food waste in supermarkets continues we will reach almost 50 per cent by 2030. But we should not weaken.”
In 2022, supermarkets managed to sell 98.62 percent of all food offered. This means that 1.38 percent did not reach the consumer. A year ago, in 2021, this rate was 1.6 percent.
Next steps
According to Vollebregt, campaigns to sell leftover food at a discount help reduce waste. He believes more steps need to be taken to further reduce waste. For example, not serving fresh food throughout the day. “For example, do you throw away fresh fruit at the end of the day or do you throw it away?”
Vollebregt admits this is easier said than done. “If a consumer cannot consistently buy a particular product from one place, he will turn to a competitor. Therefore, supermarkets may need to reach an agreement together. The question is whether this is permissible or not. “But to truly reduce food waste, collaboration is required.”
Moreover, according to Vollebregt, more can be done throughout the chain: “For example, between the supermarket organization and suppliers. This is very important for this topic. “A lot of low-hanging fruit has already happened.”
t-shirt
Albert Heijn, Aldi, DekaMarkt, Dirk, Jumbo, Lidl, Picnic and Plus, i.e. almost 85% of all supermarkets in the Netherlands, take part in the research. HelloFresh also provides data.
These stores try to prevent unsellable food from being thrown away, for example by offering discounted products.
Some unsold food, such as bread and pastries, is recycled as animal feed. The majority is fermented and burned. This reuse counts as food waste.
Source: NOS
Roy Brown is a renowned economist and author at The Nation View. He has a deep understanding of the global economy and its intricacies. He writes about a wide range of economic topics, including monetary policy, fiscal policy, international trade, and labor markets.
