Local supermarkets say they are already giving away extra or expiring food
Supermarkets are saying they are already giving food that has passed the ‘best before’ date to those in need, as charities call for the introduction of a waste-free policy.
Not much food is thrown away, supermarkets said Times of Malta.
Saying he was against waste, Greens Supermarket managing director Joseph Sammut said their stores had been donating “large quantities” of food to the Millennium Chapel in Paceville recently. five years.
Pavi and Pama Supermarkets have their donation policy in place.
About € 3,000 in food and detergents go to charity every week, said PG Group Deputy CEO Malcolm Camilleri.
We can’t leave these on our shelves but I hate waste– Managing Director of the Greens Joseph Sammut
Supermarkets have been asked about food waste in response to a call from Victory Kitchen for a no-waste policy that sees grocery stores selling unsold products instead of throwing them away.
Camilleri said: “If the food expires, we will give it. But we don’t give away very fresh refrigerated items because we don’t want to take any risks with the quality. ” Few supermarket products have actually been binned, he said.
Waste-free food apps required
Its supermarkets also make weekly donations to places such as the House of Providence, the House of Nazareth and to orphanages in the form of carved cans and slightly open packages – mostly tuna, sauces and pasta. fit for consumption.
The PG Group, he said, was willing to comply with any idea for charitable donations, such as hubs to collect food that will be wasted, particularly from supermarkets and restaurants, as suggested in a Caritas report.
The study, which shows that households are spending € 100 a month more on food bills than in 2020, also called for the development of No-Waste Food apps to connect low-income households with sources. of surplus food and about to expire. waste.
The Greens’ managing director explained that the dry food lasted about six months after the ‘best before’ date and remained fit for consumption.
Expiry dates played it very safe, reducing shelf life even if the item stayed fit for a little longer, he said.
“We can’t leave these on our shelves but I hate waste,” he said, adding that he was ready to take suggestions for donations of obsolete food that remained good to eat, “said Sammut.
“We also give food that is not expired but that we see will not be sold. We may receive a larger delivery than ordered or the goods in the container become short dated due to customs delays.
“Delivery could be delayed for two months and then it would be too late to sell while people are starving,” he added.
The EU is looking to reduce food waste
The problem, however, was sending an employee to spend half a day on deliveries.
He suggested having a truck make the detour for collection and distribution.
Greens Supermarket also collects loyalty points, with the help of customers, which are passed on to the Foodbank Lifeline Foundation and now also to Ukrainian refugees, to be redeemed as food.
The European Commission is taking the issue of food waste very seriously by believing that it would be more efficient to save food for human consumption, save money and reduce the environmental impact of production and its consumption.
It will be proposing legally binding targets to reduce food waste across the EU by the end of 2023.
He says that a better understanding and use of food data marking – ‘use by’ and ‘best before’ dates – can prevent and reduce food waste in the EU and is committed to reducing by half the waste of food per capita at retail and consumer level by 2030.
France has banned the sale of unsold food and forced stores to donate it.
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