137,000 t
“ugly” fruits and vegetables
incorporated between 2015 and 2024
As a food retailer, we understand that providing fresh food with the quality our customers seek and deserve requires extra care, since we carry products that are highly sensitive to temperature, expiry dates and handling methods. We believe that the best strategy to tackle food waste requires the engagement of all elements of the value chain, from primary production and suppliers to employees, consumers and the communities surrounding our stores.
To this end, we focus on efficient food management, using ugly fruit and vegetables, and donating surplus food. Other measures include a clear communication on the products labels, so that consumers can quickly see both the expiry dates and the time limits for consumption after opening, and the sale of food products that are close to their expiry date at a discount.
137,000 t
“ugly” fruits and vegetables
incorporated between 2015 and 2024
18,606 t
food
donated in 2024
The surplus food that can no longer be sold, but which meets food safety standards, are donated to social institutions that have a deep understanding of local needs and are close to the most vulnerable communities. This initiative is in place across all companies within our Group and assures that food reaches people in situations of social and economic vulnerability.
Instead of just being left to rot in fields, we also purchase “ugly” fruit and vegetables that have exactly the same nutritional profile as the “pretty” ones. Most are used to make our soups in Portugal and Poland or transformed into convenient food solutions, such as pre-cut and washed vegetables ready for consumption.
Explore at our Annual Report website a comprehensive breakdown of our sustainability performance, insights and forward-looking strategy, in line with the ESRS framework.
PINGO DOCE FEEDS THE NEIGHBOURHOOD
Pingo Doce’s “Alimenta o Bairro” (Feed the Neighbourhood) started as a pilot programme in four stores to broaden the range of donatable products, including packaged meat, cold cuts, and food from restaurants and cafés. By the end of 2024, it had expanded to nearly 200 stores. This programme was developed in close collaboration with partnering charities, which provided input on the types of products most valued, the necessary procedures and their capacity to collect surplus food from our stores.
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DISCOUNTED SALES FROM MARKDOWN
The markdown project, selling products nearing expiry at reduced prices, has been implemented in over 900 Pingo Doce and Biedronka stores since 2019. By the end of 2024, it prevented 38,000 tonnes of food waste in our operations. Biedronka also partners with the Too Good To Go platform in near 780 stores, distributing 1.5 million bags and preventing nearly 2,300 tonnes of food waste in 2024.
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FIGHTING FOOD WASTE AT JMA
O nosso sector agroalimentar contribui para a redução do desperdício de alimentos, ao incorporar subprodutos da indústria alimentar e vegetais fora do padrão na alimentação do gado da Best Farmer. Mais de 83.000 toneladas foram incorporadas entre 2018 e 2024.
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We were the first retailer in Portugal to calculate and publicly disclose our food waste footprint, in line with the methodology of the World Resources Institute’s Food Loss and Waste Protocol.
