Two million tonnes of food will end up in the waste unnecessarily every year in Switzerland. This is a waste of valuable resources like water and farmland. That's why Coop is committed to ensuring that as little food as possible ends up in the waste. "We only have to dispose of about 0.2 percent of the food in our supermarkets at the end," says Guido Fuchs (57), Project Manager Sustainability at Coop.
This not only benefits the environment: if food is still impeccable but can no longer be sold, Coop will forward it to the social institutions "Tischlein deck dich" and "Schweizer Tafel" free of charge. There, they benefit unfortunate people, affected by poverty. Coop donates more than 11 million full plates of food to needy people every year.
Image: Coop Zeitung
Flexible order systems ensure that there is not too much merchandise in the branches. If foodstuffs are close to their expiration date, they will be offered at a reduced price or handed over to employees more cheaply. Less than one percent of coop food is processed into biogas or animal feed. The remaining 0.2 percent, which are also not suitable for this, usually have to be disposed of according to legal requirements.
Private label Ünique
To avoid too much waste from the producers, there is Ünique. This Coop private label sells vegetables and fruits that are not up to standard. "Since almost half of the food waste is generated in households, it is important that our customers are also sensitized to the topic," says Fuchs.
Source: Coop newspaper
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