The UK retailer is launching a £10 million ($21.8 million) project to tackle household food waste with a bold five-year plan.
The ambitious ‘Waste Less, Save More’ initiative launched this week with a search for one UK town to benefit from a £1 million ($2.18 million) investment and become the test bed for innovation to discover which initiatives are most effective in reducing household food waste.
Findings and recommendations from this trial phase in year one will be developed into a blueprint and made public in subsequent years so that communities across the country can benefit from the results.
Sainsbury’s will then focus on supporting the changes that need to be made to make a long-term difference and measuring the impact of the activity, with the final phases of the project continuing to rollout change and explore opportunities to reduce other forms of waste.
Household food waste is an escalating issue in the UK, which sees seven million tonnes of food and drink wasted annually, with the average family throwing away £700 ($1,527.3) of food per year.
“We know that waste – and particularly food waste – is a big challenge for households across the UK and it’s something our customers really care about,” Sainsbury’s CEO Mike Coupe said.
“Investing significantly in this area clearly demonstrates the scale of our ambition over the next five years and shows just how committed we are to helping our customers make a real difference in this area. We’re confident that the project, which will start with trialling and testing in one UK town, will result in positive change for many more.”