Supermarkets say they are already donating food that has passed its ‘best before’ date to those in need, as charity organisations call for the introduction of a no-waste policy.
Not much food is thrown way, supermarkets have told Times of Malta.
Saying he was against waste, Greens Supermarket managing director Joseph Sammut said their stores had been donating “large quantities” of food to the Millennium Chapel in Paceville every day for the last five years.
Pavi and Pama Supermarkets have their own donation policy in place.
About €3,000 worth of food and detergents go out to charities every week, said PG Group deputy CEO Malcolm Camilleri.
We cannot leave these on our shelves but I hate waste- Greens managing director Joseph Sammut
The supermarkets were asked about food waste in reaction to a call from the Victory Kitchen for a no-waste policy that would see food stores donate unsold produce instead of throwing it away.
Camilleri said: “If foods are about to expire, we give them out. But we do not donate really fresh fridge goods as we do not want to take any risks with quality.” Few supermarket products were actually binned, he said.
No-waste food apps needed
His supermarkets also make weekly donations to places like Id-Dar tal-Providenza, Dar Nazareth and to orphanages in the form of dented tins and slightly opened packets – mostly tuna, sauces and pasta – which are still good for consumption.
The PG Group, he said, was ready to comply with any ideas for charitable donations, such as hubs to collect food that is going to waste, particularly from supermarkets and restaurants, as suggested in a report by Caritas.
The study, showing families are spending €100 a month more on food bills than in 2020 also called for the development of No-Waste Food apps to connect low-income families with sources of extra and about-to-expire food that is going to waste.
Greens’ managing director explained that dry foods last around six months after their ‘best before’ date and remained good for consumption.
Expiry dates played it very safe, reducing the shelf life even if the item remained good for a while longer, he said.
“We cannot leave these on our shelves but I hate waste,” he said, adding he was willing to take on suggestions for food donations of expired foods that remained good to eat,” Sammut said.
“We also donate food that is not expired but that we see we are not going to sell. We may receive a bigger consignment than ordered or the items in the container become short-dated due to delays caused by customs.
“A shipment can be kept for two months and then it is too late to sell it while people are dying of hunger,” he added.
EU looking to reduce food waste
The problem, however, was sending an employee to spend half a day on deliveries.
He suggested having a truck doing the rounds for collection and distribution.
Greens Supermarket also collects loyalty points, with the help of customers, which are passed on to the Foodbank Lifeline Foundation and now even Ukrainian refugees, to be redeemed as food.
The European Commission is taking the issue of food waste very seriously in the belief that being more efficient would save food for human consumption, save money and lower the environmental impact of its production and consumption.
It will be proposing legally binding targets to reduce food waste across the EU by the end of 2023.
It says better understanding and use of date marking on food – ‘use by’ and ‘best before’ dates – can prevent and reduce food waste in the EU and is committed to halving per capita food waste at the retail and consumer level by 2030.
France has banned the destruction of unsold food and compels stores to donate it.