Sainsbury’s pledges further £1m in food waste project
Sainsbury’s has pledged an additional £1m to support efforts by towns and cities to reduce food waste. The money will be offered through the company’s “waste less save more” initiative, which hopes to cut food waste by half whilst saving households £350 per year. Swadlincote in Derbyshire was previously selected by the supermarket to trial the scheme which uses initiatives such as smart fridges and food-sharing apps. Over 110 “discovery communities” have already signed up to receive funding and advice by following the blueprint developed by Swadlincote.

Sainsbury’s is stepping up its drive to tackle the UK’s food waste epidemic by announcing a further £1m to help towns and cities reduce the number of items thrown away by consumers.

In the second phase of the retailer’s “waste less, save more” programme, which aims to reduce food waste by 50% and save the average household £350 a year, funding is being extended to regions keen to replicate the lessons learned from an ongoing trial in Swadlincote, Derbyshire.

After a nationwide search, Swadlincote was chosen from 200 applicants to trial the scheme, with residents invited to use a range of initiatives over a year including smart fridges and food-sharing apps.

The findings from this trial, which started in January, are being used to create a blueprint for other communities. More than 110 regions from Dundee to Truro – so-called discovery communities – that have signed up in support of the initiative will receive funding, though other regions are still able to apply. The scheme is being announced at an event in Birmingham on Tuesday.

British families could save an average of £700 a year by wasting less food, according to the government’s waste advisory body, Wrap, which is monitoring the Swadlincote project.

In addition to the funding, Sainsbury’s will advise communities on how to replicate the work in Swadlincote. These free and low-cost solutions include organising community events and schools programmes through to larger initiatives such as the introduction of neighbourhood fridges.

“Today marks a significant milestone in our waste less, save more programme as we broaden out our focus from a single trial town to sharing our learnings with communities up and down the UK,” said Paul Crewe, head of sustainability at Sainsbury’s.

“With well over 100 communities already signed up, the response so far has been overwhelming and really highlights that the nation is waking up to food waste.”

Trials under way in Swadlincote include the Olio app (available worldwide since October), which facilitates food sharing among neighbours, and the Fab Foods project, which engages with local schools.

Elsewhere households are testing technology such as smart fridges with internal cameras. By allowing residents to view the contents of their fridge via their smartphone, they eliminate the risk of buying unnecessary items – a practice that costs the UK £1.5bn a year.





