Express & Star

Tesco giving away free food to shoppers in bid to cut waste

The supermarket said the expiring food will be offered to charities and shop workers before customers could take it.

By contributor Ted Hennessey, PA
Published
A Tesco Express store
Items with yellow stickers will be available for free after 9.30pm in some Tesco Express stores (Alamy/PA)

Tesco is giving away food about to expire in a bid to cut waste and hit net-zero targets, the supermarket said.

Items with yellow stickers are available for free after 9.30pm in some of its Express stores as part of a trial which is already under way.

The supermarket said the expiring food will be offered to charities and shop workers before customers could take it.

A Tesco spokesperson said: “We are constantly looking for innovative new ways to reduce food waste.

“In all our stores we offer unsold surplus food to charities and community groups, donating millions of meals each month.

“This trial, in a small number of our Express stores, will allow customers to take any remaining yellow stickered items for free at the end of the day, after they have first been offered to charities and colleagues.”

Tesco was one of the first firms in the world to set a validated science-based target for slashing emissions originating from forests, land and agriculture.

The supermarket giant plans to become carbon neutral across its operations by 2035 and across its entire value chain by 2050.

It comes after M&S last month announced a surplus food initiative trial, enabling customers to distribute donations in the 2% of stores without a regular charity partner.