In Danish agriculture, more than 33,000 tons of vegetables are wasted annually, estimates the Nordic Council of Ministers’ report “Food losses and waste in primary production – Data collection in the Nordic countries.” A new national initiative aims to tackle this waste, benefiting consumers, producers, and supermarkets alike.
The increased focus on food waste over the past 10 years has caught the attention of Danish consumers, and Denmark’s largest movement against food waste, Stop Wasting Food, together with REMA 1000 and the two horticultural companies Alfred Pedersen & Søn ApS and Østervang Sjælland Nursery, have launched a new nationwide initiative in the fight against food waste.
From week 20, in selected REMA 1000 stores, customers can now purchase misshapen vegetables such as ugly tomatoes, crooked cucumbers, and twisted peppers and simultaneously contribute to the association Stop Wasting Food’s efforts in the fight against food waste. The misshapen vegetables will be available at lower prices – and for each unit sold, the horticultural companies and REMA 1000 will each donate 12.5 øre, so the association Stop Wasting Food receives a total of 25 øre per unit.
Purchasing and marketing director Anders R. Jensen at REMA 1000 Denmark sees great potential:
“Collaborations across the value chain, where both producers, retail chains, and customers take joint responsibility and focus on reducing food waste, yield the greatest results. When all parts of the value chain choose to prioritize reducing food waste, we can achieve the greatest results, which is why I am very pleased with this collaboration.”
Per Madsen, sales manager at GASA Odense Fruit – Vegetables a.m.b.a., sees good opportunities in the collaboration:
“In recent years, those at Østervang Sjælland Nursery have become so skilled that the actual sorting out of vegetables today has been significantly reduced. However, we still have a small amount of misshapen vegetables, which we are very pleased to now offer to consumers in collaboration with REMA 1000, who can support the fight against food waste by purchasing the misshapen vegetables and still enjoy the same great taste they are used to.”
Claus Duedal Jakobsen, sales manager at Alfred Pedersen & Søn ApS, is also looking forward to the collaboration:
“We want to emphasize that our fresh and tasty vegetables with varying sizes and appearances taste just as good as the nice and pretty ones. At Alfred Pedersen & Søn ApS, we look forward to the collaboration with REMA 1000 and the association Stop Wasting Food on the joint initiative. Therefore, we hope that Danish consumers will warmly welcome the initiative and purchase the vegetables to help reduce food waste.”
Founder and chairman of the board for Stop Wasting Food, Selina Juul, is pleased with the initiative:
“The imperfect and misshapen vegetables taste just as good as the nice and straight ones. For many years, we have been strong advocates that this type of vegetable should be sold in Danish supermarkets. It will help reduce waste in primary production and simultaneously create growth for the food sector. And after 10 years of debate on food waste, I am confident that Danish consumers are ready to accept the misshapen vegetables on supermarket shelves. That the initiative also supports the association Stop Wasting Food makes us extra grateful.”
The misshapen vegetables will be available in selected REMA 1000 stores throughout the summer.
About Stop Wasting Food:
The Stop Wasting Food movement has existed for 10 years. Stop Wasting Food is Denmark’s largest organization against food waste, measured by the number of activities and projects implemented across the entire value chain from farm to table, the number of Danish and international media mentions, and the number of followers on social media. The Stop Wasting Food movement was founded in 2008 and initiated the fight against food waste in Denmark, putting Denmark’s fight against food waste on the world map. The purpose of Stop Wasting Food is to work broadly across the entire value chain from farm to table nationally and internationally to produce, find, and disseminate concrete solutions that can prevent and minimize food waste.