Over 2,500 tons of food saved ‹ Fruchtportal
May 30, 2022
Lidl Austria tackles the problems in the fight against food waste and implements many measures. Food that is approaching its best before date, are discounted by up to 50% – fruit & vegetables get a second chance with the “Save me box”. Through these measures alone, more than 2,500 tons of food have already been collected in front of the bio bin.
Food rescue day: The “Save me box” alone has already shown more than a million kilograms of fruit and vegetables in front of the organic bin. Photo © Lidl / Ludwig Schedl
About 40% of the food produced worldwide is never eaten. Therefore, on May 26, the WWF declared “Food Rescue Day”. “A lot of it could be consumed without hesitation. We must stop this waste. Because saving food also means climate protection,” says Simon Lindenthaler, Head of Corporate Communications & CSR at Lidl Austria. “We rely on targeted discounts and regularly donate food that is edible but no longer salable to social institutions. And in the save me box, our fruit and vegetables get a second chance. The products are then available as 4.5 kg mixed fruit and vegetable boxes for little money,” Lindenthaler continues. Up to 1,000 boxes leave the local Lidl branches every day. With these two measures alone, Lidl Austria has already saved more than 2,500 tons of food.
360° approach against food waste
Lidl Austria already implements many measures in the branch operations so that the valuable food ends up on the plate and not in the organic waste bin:
• Well protected: Even with the packaging, care is taken to ensure that the food is well protected and stays fresh for a long time. Smart ordering: Sophisticated ordering systems ensure that the right amount of food is available in the branches at the right time.
• Still good – even cheaper: Food that is approaching its sell-by date is expected to be discounted by up to 50%.
• Trust your own senses: more and more of our packaging bears instructions to evaluate food with your own senses. If the product still looks, smells and tastes good, then it is probably still edible – even if the best-before date may already have passed a day.
• Good donations: Almost all local branches donate groceries if there are buyers. Freshness with moderation: In the evening, the range of fresh goods such as bread and pastries WILL be reduced. So when the store closes, less is left over.
• Second chance: Food that cannot be sold and donated is used in a bio-gas plant or processed into animal feed.
• Use leftovers: There are many ways to make something new out of leftovers. There are many recipe ideas for cooking leftovers rezepte.lidl.at
More info on www.lidl.at/responsibility
Source: Lidl Austria
Release date: 05/30/2022