Czech supermarket chain saves 48 tonnes of food from the bin in six months — turning it into bread and snacks

A major Czech retail chain processed 48 tonnes of food that would otherwise have ended up in the trash during the first six months of the year — overripe fruit and sausage trimmings left over from slicing at the deli counter. This was reported by Jiří Mareček, director of communications and sustainability at Albert ČR.

According to him, baked goods made from rescued ingredients are sold mainly in hypermarkets, where the company has its own bakery production. The exception is a pizza snack, which can also be found in 165 supermarkets with staffed deli counters. In June alone, supermarkets managed to save 5 tonnes of sausage trimmings left over from slicing.

“Our staff bake the products right on site, using sausage trimmings from the store itself, supplemented with other ingredients,” says Dušan Kunčický, a representative of Albert’s bakery division.

He notes that customers show genuine interest in these products and ask about them when they’re not available. At the same time, shoppers are understanding of the fact that such baked goods only appear on shelves when the chain actually has surplus overripe fruit or sausage trimmings on hand — meaning they’re not a permanent fixture, but appear whenever surpluses arise.

Source: ekolist.cz