Tesco has launched a food waste hotline for suppliers to help pinpoint waste hotspots, and work with the retailer to tackle them.
The hotline is open to all Tesco suppliers via the retailer’s online Supplier Network, a resource used by more than 5,000 Tesco partners.
Tesco said it would serve as a new link between the businesses and Tesco’s product teams, enabling them to alert Tesco to potential supply chain food waste and work together to take action.
The supermarket said it wanted to ramp up efforts such as last year’s move to help prevent strawberries going to waste when a warmer period than forecast saw crops ripen at the same time.
Tesco’s response was to take the whole crop and introduce large boxes of strawberries to stores at a reduced price which it said helped customers and avoided food waste on farms.
“At Tesco, we have no time for waste, and we are committed to reducing food waste wherever it occurs, from farm to fork,” said Tesco commercial director, fresh food and commodities Matt Simister.
“The ‘food waste hotline’ is another little help we are making to achieve this with our suppliers,” he added. “It helps our suppliers gain direct, easy access to our product teams, and this will enable us to identify food waste hotspots and systemic issues and work in partnership to tackle them.”
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