Tesco has announced that its food waste scheme has saved 50 million packs of fruit and vegetables from going to waste.
The initiative, which is called Perfectly Imperfect, offers customers wonky food that would otherwise be at risk of going to waste.
Since launching in 2016, the total weight of fruit and veg sold is 44,000 tonnes.
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“Selling wonky fruit and veg is one way Tesco ensures the food we grow ends up feeding people, but taking steps to tackle food waste is something we can all do,” Tesco head of food waste reduction, Tony McElroy said.
“This can simply mean writing a list and planning meals before going to the shops, storing things correctly or looking again at misshapen food and eating it with the knowledge it’s just as good as the conventionally shaped alternative.”
The initiative started off with just two products – parsnips and potatoes – but has since expanded to include a variety of other fruits and vegetables such as strawberries, apples, leeks, carrots, lettuce and cauliflowers.
Perfectly Imperfect is just one of the supermarket’s initiatives to tackle food waste. Others include its partnership with food distribution charity FareShare.
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