Tesco to trial giving away expiring food to customers for free in bid to slash food waste

The supermarket will give away some already discounted − ‘yellow sticker’ – items after 9.30pm in smaller Express convenience stores in the coming months, BBC News reported. 

Tesco already donates expiring food to charities and food banks but said it is launching this trial to try to meet its goal of halving food waste. Expiring food will be offered to charities before customers can then take it, the retailer said.

A Tesco spokesman said: “This trial will allow customers to take any remaining yellow-stickered items for free at the end of the day after they have first been offered to charities and colleagues.”

The grocer did not say where the trial would be launched, nor its exact starting date. 

It is the first trial of its kind across the UK supermarket industry. All the major grocers have charity partners to which they send surplus food. 

Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda and Morrisons have all pledged to halve food waste by 2030, while discounter Aldi said it has achieved that goal already.