Colruyt Group is to add Too Good To Go's new 'Look, Smell, Taste' pictogram to a wide range of private-label dairy products, as part of its efforts to prevent food waste.
The new pictogram aims to remind customers to trust their senses before deciding to throw away dairy products based on their 'best before' date.
By participating in this new awareness campaign, Colruyt Group aims to give the new Too Good To Go pictogram extra power and visibility.
Stefan Goethaert, director at Colruyt Group, stated, "At Colruyt Group, we are already very consciously working on combatting food waste in our stores themselves, and informing our customers not to throw away products unnecessarily at home. For us, this cooperation is an extra way to reinforce that commitment and it fits in with the social added value that we can offer as a retailer.
"The packaging of our private-label dairy range is now implemented step by step, and we are liaising with Too Good To Go to look at further steps for the future."
Food Waste
In September, research by Too Good To Go revealed that 75% of Belgian consumers do not know the difference between 'best before' and 'use by.'
The misinterpretation leads to food waste as one in three people throw away food because it is past its best before date.
Research also showed that half of the yoghurt thrown away by consumers is still unopened and dairy is a category that often ends up in people's bins.
Franco Prontera, country manager of Too Good to Go, said, "Being able to add so many extra references to the packaging increases our impact. It is particularly interesting that the private labels are also included in this collaboration, as they make up a large share of the assortment in the supermarket.
"Our aim is to have one million products carrying this label – we have currently reached a quarter of a million. So, we are on the right track and are very happy with the enthusiasm of our partners".
Unopened yoghurt that has been stored correctly remains edible for some time after the indicated 'use by' date, according to Belgian non-profit organisation Test Aankoop.
Prontera added, "With this, we encourage people to look at, smell and taste the product. Are the taste, smell and texture as usual? Then it is perfectly safe to consume. In this way we hope to save a considerable number of products from going to waste."
Other Initiatives
The retailer has also added all Bio-Planet stores to the Too Good To Go application, enabling' Waste Warriors' to collect their magic bags in one of the 31 outlets across the country.
Elsewhere, Colruyt has announced a partnership with urban farming group ECLO, to use its own bread waste to grow mushrooms.
