According to the Food Waste Committee, grocery stores, wholesalers and KBS (Kiosk, petrol and service) accounted for 73,500 tonnes of food waste in 2023. – We are a large family of six children and two adults, so we often look for reduced prices. We depend on it, says Ine Hernes Watne. In recent years, grocery stores in Norway have had reduced prices on best-before products. When products are about to expire, but are not bad after, the prices are reduced. On 1 February 2024, a discount was introduced on goods that have passed the best before date at all Coop stores. The discount is 70 percent. Coop believes the new measure will help reduce food waste, and at the same time give customers the opportunity to save money. Mother of six Ine Hernes Watne says reduced-price products are alpha and omega for a large family. Photo: Jonas Tronsen / news – It helps the economy a lot with schemes that make things cheaper. When it is also good for the environment, that is a big plus, says Watne. – Great progress In 2023, Coop sold discounted goods to the value of NOK 1 billion. Knut Lutnæs, communications advisor at Coop. Photo: Espen Solli / Espen Solli – We are taking a new step and now for the first time selling goods that have passed the best before date. We believe this is an important step in reducing food waste, says Knut Lutnæs, communications advisor at Coop. Lutnæs points out that there can probably be misunderstandings about the difference in shelf-life marking, ie best before and last day of consumption. Shelf-life label Last use-by date: Used on products with a short shelf-life, which can make you sick if consumed after the use-by date. Best before: Used on goods with a longer shelf life, but which are not dangerous to consume after the marked date. Coop wants to make it easier to be a customer at a time when prices are constantly rising. And discounts can lead to new eating habits. – Reducing food waste is an incredibly important measure, both for the environment and the wallet, to which everyone can and must contribute. It is about cooperation throughout the entire chain. From farmer to kitchen table, notes Lutnæs. Anne Marie Schrøder, communications manager at Matvett. Matvett is the food and catering industry’s company to prevent and reduce food waste. Photo: Moment Studio Anne Marie Schrøder in Matvett says it is essentially safe to eat food that has passed its best before date. Provided that the food is stored correctly, especially when it comes to refrigerated goods. – It is important that you store the goods correctly and see how they look. So you have to use your head when tasting things that have passed their best before date. – Price reduction is not enough County leader of Grønn Ungdom in Rogaland, Tenho Emil Olsen Ylitalo, believes it is important to have a system where prices are reduced on things that are about to expire. Tenho Emil Olsen Ylitalo, county leader of Green Youth in Rogaland. Photo: Private – When you spend so much money and resources on producing food, it is incredibly important that it does not end up in the bin, says Ylitalo. Ylitalo says discounted goods are a good initiative, but that a lot of work remains. He believes that laws against food waste should be introduced. – Overall, I believe that reducing the price of goods is not a big enough measure. It should be required by law, says Ylitalo. Not following in Coop’s footsteps There are three major grocery players in Norway: Coop, Rema 1000 and NorgesGruppen. news has also been in contact with Rema 1000 and NorgesGruppen. They do not want to introduce the same price reduction as Coop. – We have no plans for a scheme to sell food that has passed its best before date. But we have a number of other schemes to reduce the price of goods so that we can sell them before they expire, says head of social responsibility and sustainability at Rema 1000, Emilie Våge. Emilie Våge, head of social responsibility and sustainability at REMA 1000 Norge AS. Photo: Privat Nevertheless, they admire everyone who does what they can to save edible food. – We encourage all measures that contribute to less food waste, says Våge. NorgesGruppen notices great interest in discounted goods. A combination of a focus on sustainability and an economically tough time, NorgesGruppen believes, means that people are more conscious when they shop. Price reductions on goods approaching their expiry date have meant that they have reduced food waste by over 35 per cent in NorgesGruppen’s stores. They are waiting for figures from 2023, but think the development is still positive. Kine Søyland, communications manager for NorgesGruppen ASA. Photo: Privat – We have no immediate plans to change the structure we already have in the form of price reductions on goods that are approaching the best before date, says Kine Søyland, head of communications at NorgesGruppen. NorgesGruppen also discounts goods before the expiry date. Surplus food is donated to food centers around the country. – Win-win. Customers get goods at a lower price, and we don’t have to waste food, says Søyland.
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Selling expired food at a 70 percent discount – news Rogaland – Local news, TV and radio
