From the Series
1.3 billion tonnes of food goes to waste every year. This excess food is enough to feed the world’s hungry people four times over. By finding ways to reduce waste, we will not only be able to tackle global food shortages but we will be able to decrease the food produce industry’s impact on natural resources. In Denmark, one supermarket called WeFood has set out to make a difference by selling only waste food at discounted prices.
WeFood opened to the public in February 2016, in the capital city of Copenhagen. The store is run by volunteers and stocks food that has reached its sell by date. The company sources its supplies from large supermarket chains or importers who throw out produce past its sell by date in order to avoid selling expired products.
The organisation, Say No To Food Waste believes that supermarkets practise excessive buying behaviour to provide a varied and abundant selection for their consumers. “They are responsible for creating the supply to which the demand is adjusted,” says the organisation.
The big draw for people who shop at WeFood is that they are purchasing perfectly edible food at up to 50 per cent cheaper than in other local supermarkets. In addition to reducing food waste in Denmark, WeFood aims to give profits from its flagship store to DanChurchAid – a humanitarian organisation with a global food poverty initiative.
