Unveiled today in Birmingham, Sainsbury’s has launched a new fund to help tackle the problem of food waste throughout the UK.
The fund signals the second phase of its ‘waste less, save more’ campaign, following a trial of initiatives in Swadlincote, Derbyshire, this year.
In the original trial residents were invited to use a range of initiatives over a 12-month period which included the introduction of smart fridges and food-sharing apps, including Olio, which helps communities share food among neighbours.
Each community, of which there are 11 already confirmed, will be able to choose a favoured scheme based on local requirements and are even able to apply for top-up funding to put the initiatives in place.
The campaign also offers communities the opportunity to create and pitch waste cutting ideas to the supermarket.
The new funding scheme will be available to towns and cities that are signed up to the campaign, which aims to reduce food waste by 50 per cent and save the average household £350 per year.
More than 110 regions have signed up to support the initiative and will receive a share of the £1 million fund — though there is still time for other areas to apply for the scheme.
Paul Crewe, head of sustainability at Sainsbury’s, speaking to The Guardian, said:
Today marks a significant milestone in our waste less, save more programme as we broaden out our focus from a single trial town to sharing our learnings with communities up and down the UK.
“With well over 100 communities already signed up, the response so far has been overwhelming and really highlights that the nation is waking up to food waste.”
Every year more than 15 million tonnes of food is thrown away across the country, meaning that the average British family could save more than £700 a year by wasting less food.
