Retailer Tesco has announced that, on a test basis, 50 Central European stores, including 12 in Hungary, will introduce the product line called "Perfectly Imperfect".
This entails that the chain's shelves will welcome fruits and vegetables that do not meet the traditional standards when it comes to aspects like shape, weight or size, but which are perfectly fine in terms of quality and food safety. With this initiative, the chain aims to help reduce food waste on the producer side.
A lot of food goes to waste
According to UN data, one third of the food produced in the world ends up in the trash. The Hungarian Food Bank reported that 1.8 million tonnes of food are wasted each year in Hungary, causing great losses to producers. The European Union's Fusions 2016 report revealed that, in the production process, Member States waste 9.1 million tonnes of food every year.
The "Perfectly Imperfect" product range has become very popular in the UK Tesco stores, which is why the company decided to expand it to Central European customers as a test. The size, shape or weight of these products may be unusual, but in terms of their quality, they are flawless and are also sold at more affordable prices.
The fight against food waste is a priority issue in the framework of Tesco's corporate social responsibility. In addition to the "Perfectly Imperfect" range, Tesco has been running a food rescue program since 2013, with 92 participating stores which collect and offer their surplus food to charity on a daily basis.
Source: 24.hu