We believe in the positive impact of raising awareness to the adoption of waste prevention and minimisation practices – as well as to its correct segregation – that contribute to waste recovery and to help save natural resources.
As food experts, we are determined to fight against food waste on all fronts.
That’s why we are committed to reducing by half the food waste produced in our operations by 2030, in line with Goal 12.3 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. In addition, we want to limit the amount of food wasted to 16.1 kg per tonne of food sold by 2023.
We buy non-standard size fruit and vegetables from our suppliers which, before, were left discarded in the fields. Therefore, we strive to contribute to reducing waste upstream of our operations, whilst ensuring that these products, which have the same nutritional profile as grade products, are integrated into the value chain, reaching consumers’ tables.
The so-called “ugly” fruits and vegetables are thus used in the soups we make in Portugal and Poland or transformed into convenience food solutions such as pre-cut and washed ready-to-use vegetables. These “ugly” products are also sold in their original form, at a reduced price in Recheio stores.
We are also committed to making it easier for consumers, in all countries, to manage the expiry dates of food products by adopting just one expiry date on the product labels whenever possible, depending on legal requirements.
At the same time, we sell food products that are close to reaching their expiration date at a discount price, which allowed us to avoid wasting 4.7 thousand tonnes of food in Pingo Doce and Biedronka stores in 2020.
We adopted additional strategies to reuse food and fight waste in our stores, following a circular economy logic. The bread not sold is grated in the store and put on sale or used to make breaded products, avoiding the waste of 187 tonnes of bread in 2020.
The same happens with roast chicken, which is shredded and used to make pizzas, salads and sandwiches available in the Pingo Doce take-aways. Piglet meat is also shredded and used to make sandwiches. These actions avoided the waste of 98 tonnes of chicken and 6 tonnes of piglet meat in 2020.
Larger fruits, such as melons, watermelons, cantaloupes, papayas and pineapples, are cut into halves to avoid both in-store and at-home waste for consumers, as only buying the desired amount is promoted.
And because the fight against waste must integrate the different stages of the supply chain, our operations at Jerónimo Martins Agro-Alimentar also source sub-products from the food industry and non-standard size vegetables to be incorporated into the cattle feed.
In addition to the strategies adopted by the Group to fight food waste, all the way from primary production to the consumer that visits our stores, we donate food goods to charities every day and provide training for employees in identifying, selecting and separating food that is safe for donation. In 2020 alone, we donated over 18.7 thousand tonnes of food in the three countries where we are present.
In 2020, we generated 522,531 tonnes of waste, 0.7% more compared to the previous year, and we sent more than 85.8% of the waste produced to recovery. Our commitment is to have an annual recovery rate of at least 85% of the volume of waste generated in the three-year 2021- 2023.
Recycling bins are available in our stores for our customers, who deposited more than 700 tonnes of waste across the Group’s stores in 2020, corresponding to an 12.9% increase year-on-year.
Information on the type and treatment of waste and food waste was confirmed by an external and independent entity for the Group’s 2020 Annual Report.