Sainsbury’s has unveiled a £1 million fund available to towns and cities across the UK to help households “radically” reduce food waste.
The move is the second part of the retailer’s Waste less, Save more programme. The first phase selected the Derbyshire town of Swadlincote to test ways of reducing food waste, including using the Olio app to encourage food sharing amongst neighbours, and the ‘Fab Foods’ programme to engage local schools.
Households are also testing technology such as smart fridges with internal cameras, which allow residents to view contents via their smart phone, and eliminate the risk doubling up during food shops.
Thanks to the new funding, which was announced today (8 November) at an event in Birmingham, 110 towns and cities have signed up to become ‘Discovery Communities’ and apply for funding.
It comes as Sainsbury's revealed new research that showed that almost a fifth of every roast dinner ends up in the bin, while vegetables are twice as likely to be binned than meat. Roast potatoes, parsnips, carrots, cauliflower and broccoli are the vegetables most likely to be wasted after a roast, Sainsbury's said.
Head of sustainability at Sainsbury’s, Paul Crewe, said: “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.
“Not only will a reduction have a huge environmental impact but, with families throwing away £700 a year on uneaten food, it will help put more money back in the pocket of British people too.”
David Rogers of WRAP said: “Today’s event has highlighted a huge appetite to reduce food waste across the country from local councils, community groups and businesses.
“I’m delighted to see initiatives from Sainsbury’s shine a light on the issue of food waste, and we look forward to working together and supporting them every step of the way.”
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