Dutch retailer Jumbo Supermarkten has launched the 'Brood van Brood' initiative as part of its Waste-Free Week campaign, which commenced on 1 September.
The pilot project will see the retailer making new white and wholemeal bread from unsold private-label bread.
Making new bread from old bread is an ancient traditional baking method and Jumbo aims to breathe a new life into the process, the retailer said.
The process involves adding water and sourdough culture to the crumbled bread and placing it in special vessels to allow dough formation.
The new 'Brood van Brood' cut bread variants are available in Jumbo outlets in units of 800 grams priced at €1.50 each.
An 'Artisanal Product'
Commercial director of Jumbo, Olaf de Boer, commented, "At Jumbo, we are proud of the introduction of ’Brood van Brood'. Not only because it's a beautiful, artisanal product with a very rich taste, but above all, because it is in line with our goal of further reducing food waste.
"In addition to our smart ordering process, which allows us to make forecasts based on cash register data about quantities to be sold, with 'Brood van Brood' we want to further tackle the waste of bread. If our customers embrace this, we will extend this baking principle to more types of bread.”
Bread is one of the most wasted items, both in stores and in households, according to Toine Timmermans of Stichting Samen tegen Voedselverspasting (Together Against Food Waste Foundation).
Timmermans added, “It's great that Jumbo puts the concept of 'Brood van Brood' on the market and in this way counteracts the waste of bread.
“I sincerely hope that this way of baking bread will become the standard in the future. In addition, it is of course important to prevent return bread as much as possible.”
Waste-Free Week Campaign
Jumbo’s Waste-Free Week campaign will run from 1 to 7 September 2020.
The retailer will offer meat, fish, fresh juices and chilled fruit at a reduced rate in its ‘Samen minder Verwaillen’ shelf.
Introduced in 2019, this section is now available in more than 580 Jumbo stores.
Meal packages, precisely tailored to the number of portions and ideal for avoiding waste, will also be available at discounted prices as part of the Waste-Free Week campaign, Jumbo added.
The retailer will also share recipes based on leftovers via social media and online channels to help customers reduce food waste.
De Boer stated, “We have a joint responsibility to consume food as much as possible and not throw it away. We are happy to help our customers with that.
"Ultimately, that is good for the environment and the wallets of our customers. We call on everyone to pay extra attention to this during the Waste-Free Week.”
© 2020 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Dayeeta Das. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
