Lidl is selling 5k boxes of ‘imperfect’ fruit and veg for £1.50 to help tackle food waste
LIDL is selling 5 kilogramme boxes of mixed wonky fruit and veg in a bid to drive down waste - and they cost just £1.50 each.
The so-called "Too Good to Waste" boxes will contain products that are "no longer at their perfect best but still perfectly good to eat", according to the supermarket.
These might be fruits and veg that are slightly damaged, bruised or close to their use-by-date.
Too Good to Waste boxes will be on sale first thing in the morning from 8am until 10am, at which point any unsold food items will be donated to charities.
The trial is set to roll out at 122 selected Lidl stores this week. But the budget retailer claims that if the scheme was to be rolled out nationwide across its 710 stores it could save some 10,000 tones of surplus fruit and veg a year.
Lidl hopes that the boxes will encourage shoppers to buy fresh produce that they might have previously left on the shelf, whilst providing cash-strapped households with a best value option.
Christian Härtnagel, the boss of Lidl UK, said: "Food waste is one of the most important topics that our industry is facing, and one that we are fully committed to tackling.
"This is why, in 2017, we set ourselves the ambitious target of reducing our food waste by 25 per cent across just three years.
“We’re proud that in just one year, our stores have managed to cut food waste by 13 per cent, however we recognise that there’s still a long way to go, to get where we need to be."
The supermarket has pledged to cut food waste per store by 25 per cent by 2020.
Its most recently released figures revealed that average food waste per store has already fallen by 13.3 per cent.
Here's how to cut the cost of your grocery shop
WE spoke to Hannah Maundrell, editor of Money.co.uk, about how you can cut the cost of your shopping bills:
- Write yourself a list - Only buy items that you need. If it isn't on your list, don't put it in the trolley
- Create a budget - Work out a weekly budget for your food shopping
- Never shop hungry - you are far more likely to buy more food if your tummy is rumbling
- Don't buy pre-chopped veggies or fruit - The extra they'll charge for chopping can be eye watering
- Use social media - follow your favourite retailers to find out about the latest deals
- Be disloyal - You may want to go to different stores to find the best bargains
- Check the small print - It’s always worth checking the price per kg/lb/litre when comparing offers so you’re making a like for like decision as a bigger box won’t necessarily mean you get more
- Use your loyalty cards - Don’t be afraid to sign up to them all. They all work slightly differently - work out what bonus suits you better and remember to trade in your points for additional rewards
It follows in the footsteps of Asda and Morrisons, which have both released wonky boxes for £3.50 and £3 respectively.
Supermarkets often only accept fruit and veg that looks a certain way and meets a specific criteria so that shoppers will be tempted to buy it.
But this year hot weather has left many crops like carrots, onions, potatoes and peas struggling to grow meaning that they're much smaller than normal and in shorter supply.
More money saving tips
Brits have been basking in the soaring temperatures but it's wreaked havoc on the crops.
Peas, potatoes and even meat produce is suffering as a result of the heatwave putting the great British Sunday roast at threat.
And the current hot weather and dry conditions mean some flowers haven't developed properly too.
Today, Morrisons announced it will start selling wonky flowers to stop imperfect blooms from going to waste - and they cost £3 per bouquet instead of £5.
Earlier this year, Tesco introduced green lemons in its stores and it's all to do with helping to prevent food waste - and a lemon shortage.
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