Germany's REWE Group has announced that its discount supermarket chain Penny has been awarded the 'Zu gut für die Tonne!' (Too good for the bin!) prize for implementing measures to reduce food waste.
The award was presented by the German minister of agriculture, Julia Klöckner, at an event in Berlin on 3 April.
The retailer was recognised for its 'Naturgut Bio-Helden' (Nature Good Organic Heroes) and 'Kostbares Retten' (Save Precious) campaigns.
A 'Significant Award'
COO of Penny, Stefan Magel, said, "We are proud that we were able to win this significant award.
"Penny has been actively involved in the preventing food waste for many years.[...] The two winning campaigns show how active we are in the fight against food wastage."
According to estimates, around 11 million tonnes of food is wasted in Germany every year.
'Kostbares Retten' Campaign
The 'Kostbares Retten' campaign was launched in February of this year.
The products marked with the words 'Kostbares Retten' convey that they can be consumed even after the best-before date.
Alongside the campaign, the retailer also introduced a 30% discount on short shelf-life products.
'Naturgut Bio-Helden' Campaign
The 'Naturgut Bio-Helden' campaign was launched in 2016 in all 2,180 Penny outlets, and saw the sale organic natural fruits and vegetables with minor blemishes at reasonable prices.
It aimed to create awareness about the quality and shelf life of fruit and vegetables that are not flawless in appearance.
The retailer has reported an annual increase of around 6% in the sales of blemished fruit and vegetables in its stores since the launch of the campaign.
It now offers around 20 varieties of fruit and vegetables under the 'Naturgut Bio-Helden' range.
© 2019 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Dayeeta Das. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
