U.K. supermarket chain reveals amount of food wasted at stores

Food waste at supermarkets has become somewhat of an accepted fact, a necessary evil reflective of a global supply-and-demand food system that's very hard to change.

However, U.K. supermarket giant Tesco has vowed to tackle the issue in small increments, announcing a series of changes to its operations that aims to reduce the amount of waste at its stores.

The chain commissioned research that reveals food waste figures for its operations for the first time, citing that nearly 60,000 tonnes of food are wasted by its suppliers and shoppers each year, reports The Guardian.

Also see: Canadians waste more than $2.5 billion of produce every year, survey says

Specifically, 68 per cent of produce grown for bagged salad is thrown out. Thirty-five per cent of that is wasted in shoppers' homes. The retailer also discovered that 40 per cent of apples are wasted, in addition to just under half of bakery items.

"We've all got a responsibility to tackle food waste and there is no quick-fix single solution," says Matt Simister, a representative for Telsco. "Little changes can make a big difference, like storing fruit and vegetables in the right way."

The supermarket tracked 25 best-selling products to give an overall food waste "footprint" for each item.

Also see: Sneaky grocery store money wasters

As a result of their data, representatives for the company say they plan to eliminate multi-buy sales on large bags of salad, while promoting smaller bags in an attempt to help customers reduce the amount they are wasting at home.

Stores will also remove "display until" dates from fresh fruit and vegetables, reduce the amount of bread on display, and use smaller cases to store food -- all with the aim of better stock control and less waste.

And finally, Tesco claims it will work with grape, banana and apple suppliers to improve delivery times and conditions, as well as provide tips on how to reduce pest and disease.

What are your thoughts on the Telsco's food waste reduction efforts? Do you think all supermarkets have a responsibility to implement similar changes?