German discount giant Lidl from July 2023 will offer the ‘anti-waste bag’ of fruit and vegetables in all its 730 stores in Italy.
Anti-waste bag, 4 kg of fruit and vegetables for 3 euros
Each bag, sold at a fixed price of 3 euros, contains 4 kilograms of different varieties of fruits and vegetables that are likely to remain unsold. These are products that are good and safe for consumption but have cosmetic or packaging defects.
The assortment and number of bags varies according to the daily availability of imperfect fruits and vegetables in individual stores. Each day Lidl staff fills the anti-waste bags and places them in a dedicated cart behind the checkouts.
Too Good to Waste
The new proposal is part of the Too Good To Waste project launched by Lidl in 2019, which includes targeted discounts aimed at incentivizing the sale of products approaching their expiration date.
Discounts on perishable goods nearing expiration are increasingly popular in retail, in Italy as in other countries (1,2). The consumer saves money, the seller reduces unsold goods and disposal costs. Win-win.
Solidarity and the fight against waste
The Bag and targeted discounts on expiring products are an exemplary model of all-around sustainability, useful in reducing food waste (and of the resources used to grow and produce the food) and supporting families harassed by high prices.
Alongside these initiatives, Lidl’s commitment to the fight against food waste should also be mentioned in solidarity. Since 2018, in fact, the chain has launched the ‘Beyond the Cart – Lidl Against Waste’ project to donate surplus food to the Food Bank.
Almost every day at 523 Lidl stores, products that are still edible but surplus and/or unfit for in-store sale are collected and redistributed to people in need. From bread to fruit and vegetables to packaged items.
Marta Strinati
Notes
(1) Dario Dongo, Giulia Pietrollini. Reducing food waste, Coop Italy’s strategy. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 21.2.23
(2) Marta Strinati. France, Carrefour and Leclerc get national label against food waste. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 4.4.23
Professional journalist since January 1995, he has worked for newspapers (Il Messaggero, Paese Sera, La Stampa) and periodicals (NumeroUno, Il Salvagente). She is the author of journalistic surveys on food, she has published the book "Reading labels to know what we eat".
