Lidl has launched a food waste reduction initiative which will see it sell slightly damaged fruit and vegetables at a discount.
The German grocer will now sell 5kg boxes of imperfect fruit and vegetables for £1.50 across 122 of its UK stores as part of its Too Good to Waste trial.
Boxes will be sold from 8am to 10am this week, with any unsold produce being donated to charity.
If the trial is successful the retailer will consider a national roll out across its entire estate, which could save an estimated 10,000 tonnes of waste per year.
Lidl has pledged to cut food waste per store by 25 per cent by 2020, and its recently released figures show that average food waste per store has already fallen by 13.3 per cent.
“Proportionately, we sell the most fruit & veg in the sector, but we know from our data that fresh produce is one of the biggest contributors to food waste in stores,” Lidl UK chief executive Christian Hartnagel said.
“We’re excited by the difference our Too Good To Waste initiative will make. Not only will it help customers consider items they might have previously dismissed, it will also provide an opportunity for them to make further savings.”
Both Asda and Morrisons have launched similar products, but their wonky veg boxes cost £3.50 and £3 respectively, more than double Lidl’s.
Morrisons has also today announced the extension of its wonky produce range to flowers in the wake of the heatwave stunting many flowers development.
Wonky bouquets with shorter or crooked stems or smaller flower heads will now be sold for £3, compared to the usual £5.
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