Reduced food waste
Far too much of the food that is produced never reaches our stomachs. At Axfood we are therefore working actively to reduce food waste in all of our operations.
Food that is grown, processed, transported and sold without being consumed is a huge waste of Earth’s resources. Food should be taken care of through the entire production chain and not be thrown out if it can be used in some form.
Axfood has set a sustainability goal to halve food waste across our entire operation by 2025, compared to the base year 2015.
With the help of new technology, clearance sales of items with short expiration dates, clearance sales of fruits and vegetables, smarter packaging, and collaborations with suppliers and charitable organizations, we prevent food waste.
New technology contributes to reducing food waste
One of the most important measures for reducing food waste is for stores to place accurate orders. Axfood has therefore developed ordering systems that help store employees order the right amount of goods at the right time.
We have also developed handheld devices that quickly and easily identify items with short expiration dates. This allows store staff to highlight these items to customers and sell them at reduced prices.
Clearance sales of fruits and vegetables
Another important measure to reduce food waste is the clearance sale of fruits and vegetables. Axfood’s store chains Hemköp, Tempo, Willys, and Snabbgross therefore clearence sell fruits and vegetables that are starting to become overripe or have blemishes.
Smarter packaging
Axfood’s packaging is designed to avoid unnecessary waste. One example of this is that Garant has launched packaging with smaller portions of salads. Axfood’s stores also offer a wide range of frozen goods.
Collaborations with charitable organizations and suppliers
Axfood has developed local collaborations with over a hundred charitable organizations to reduce food waste. This means that more than 200 stores and warehouses within the group donate food to various local charitable organizations such as Räddningsmissionen (The Rescue Mission) and Frälsningsarmén (The Salvation Army). To facilitate this work, we collaborate with the Swedish Food Bank Network. The organization matches local stores with food banks and provides administrative support and advice to facilitate food donations.
In addition, Axfood is a co-founder and initiator of Matmissionen (Food Mission). Through Svensk Dagligvaruhandel (The Swedish Food Retailers Federation), Axfood and the rest of the grocery industry collaborate with suppliers to help Matmissionen sell goods that would otherwise risk becoming food waste.
We help our customers reduce food waste
Axfood is indeed making strides in food innovation to help reduce waste. Their private label, Garant, has introduced products like “skeva skivor,” which are irregular slices of cooked ham, in collaboration with Willys. This initiative aims to sell items that might otherwise be discarded.
Additionally, other efforts within the Axfood family contribute to reducing food waste. For example, Willys ran a campaign encouraging customers to use leftovers by providing recipes based on commonly discarded ingredients.
Proposals for policies to reduce food waste
Axfood is also addressing the issue of food waste in other ways. In “Mat 2030,” Axfood’s proposal for a sustainable food strategy, they urge policymakers to adopt a national food waste goal.
This is important because Sweden currently lacks an overarching concrete food waste goal, adopted by the parliament, in line with the UN’s global sustainability goal of halving food waste.
There is also a need for a common definition and measurement method for food waste, as well as decisions on how the reduction should be distributed within the value chain and how reporting can be done.
Facilitating food donations to social organizations by reducing traceability requirements and clarifying the difference between “best before” and “use by” dates are other measures Axfood proposes to reduce food waste.
