Sonae MC-owned retail chain Meu Super has donated 3,000 kilograms of food of food this year through campaigns with Animalife and the Portuguese Red Cross.
Donated items are considered surplus when they lose their commercial character, but preserve all food safety and hygiene conditions and are fit for consumption.
These include fresh produce, such as fruit, groceries and bakery items, as well as other food items, and are a way of avoiding food waste in a circular economy logic, the retailer added.
'Sustainable Food System'
Tomás Lince Fernandes, general director of Meu Super, stated, “Food waste is a problem for everyone and it is a serious challenge for a sustainable food system. That is why at Meu Super we continue to tirelessly fight to reduce food waste in consumable condition.”
Combating food waste is one of the priorities of the proximity chain.
In association with the ‘Too Good To Go’ app, Sonae MC sold 6,787 ‘Magic Boxes’ in 2021 in its effort to fight food waste.
The magic boxes, priced at €2.99 or €3.99, offers a range of products, such as fruits, vegetables, cookies, cakes, juices, yoghurts, that are close to their use-by dates.
Expansion Strategy
The retail chain, which marked its 10th anniversary this year, opened 37 shops in mainland Portugal, Madeira, Azores, and Cape Verde.
The move is part of its expansion strategy to open 300 shops all over the country, with a total sales area of 50 thousand square metres, creating more than 1,500 jobs.
In 2020, sales in Meu Super outlets exceeded €171 million, reinforcing its position in the segment of stores less than 400 square metres in size.
© 2021 European Supermarket Magazine. Article by Dayeeta Das. For more Retail news, click here. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
