Tesco criticised for food waste after CEO’s pledge
Tesco has faced criticism in relation to edible food waste over the Christmas period. An employee at a branch of the supermarket in Devon claimed to have been told to throw away six cages of vegetables that were still in-date on Christmas Eve. Just two days earlier, Tesco CEO, Dave Lewis, had announced a commitment that no food fit for human consumption should go to waste in UK branches by the end of February. All leading UK supermarkets, including Tesco, have pledged to reduce food waste by 20% within a decade under the government-backed initiative, the Courtauld Commitment 2025.
 

The cages of in-date produce which were allegedly binned by a Tesco store in Devon (Picture: SWNS)

A Tesco worker was told to throw away six cages of in-date vegetables that could have been given to homeless charities or food banks.

The employee at the Exeter Vale Tesco Extra in Devon said they ‘could not believe their eyes’ as hundreds of bags of carrots and potatoes well within their sell-by date were binned.

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They spotted the cages stuffed with food on Christmas Eve.

Some of the stock was dated December 30, meaning it would have been fresh for an entire week.

‘It was really getting to me all over Christmas,’ the employee – who wished to remain anonymous – told Devon Live.

‘While I tucked into my dinner, all I could think of is how that food could have helped people who cook meals for the homeless.

The cages were photographed on Christmas Eve and held potatoes and carrots (Picture: SWNS)

‘Why couldn’t they just reduce it to 10p or less over the next few days, so it had chance to sell?’

Tesco defended the incident, claiming the stock was unsuitable for a charity donation and said the potatoes were ‘unfit for sale’ but did not comment on the carrots.

A spokesman for Tesco said: ‘All food in our stores that is fit for consumption is either sold or offered to charities and community groups through our Community Food Connection scheme, with our Exeter Vale Extra store so far providing more than 9,000 meals through the scheme to help people in need.

‘All unsold food that was fit for consumption was offered by the store to local groups, however shortly before Christmas, the Exeter Vale store received a delivery of potatoes that store colleagues found were unfit to sell or offer to local groups.

‘Where products cannot be donated or are unfit for sale these products are put aside until they can be sent for anaerobic digestion.’

The worker was horrified to be told to throw away masses of the in-date vegetables (Picture: SWNS)

Tesco chief executive Dave Lewis recently said no food fit for human consumption will be wasted by their UK stores by the end of February.

He said edible food should be used for people, and not go to waste.

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Tesco, alongside all major UK supermarkets including Sainsbury’s and Morrisons, has signed a commitment to cut food waste by one-fifth within a decade as part of the Courtauld Commitment 2025.

The supermarket chain has come under fire in the past week by customers who complained about ‘rancid’ and ‘rotten’ turkeys bought for their Christmas dinners.

The company is refunding and compensating customers after being bombarded with complaints on social media.

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