Kaufland against food waste: The company’s reductions save over 11 million kg of food waste

The retail leader saves over 11 million kilograms of food just as a result of its daily discounts. The price offers with discounts between 40% and 99% on selected items are one of the measures taken by Kaufland Bulgaria in the direction of reducing food waste. This was announced by Ivan Chernev, executive director of Kaufland Bulgaria at an event, the occasion of which was a thematic report of the retailer. Thanks also to the daily discounts as an effective mechanism, more than 90% of the food with an approaching expiry date is sold successfully. Among the other measures that the company introduces in the direction of limiting food waste are smart planning of the daily orders of goods from the Central Warehouse to the branches and a strong control of freshness and quality throughout the chain – incl. logistics, receipt of goods, storage. The company also conducts numerous targeted trainings for its personnel to optimize processes. To the priority measures to reduce food waste, the retailer adds the subsequent utilization of the unrealized food, and in 2023 alone, more than 270 tons of food were handed over for their conversion into biogas. In parallel, the chain makes weekly donations of food with an approaching expiration date to the “Faithful Guardian” food bank in the city of Burgas. In the last six months, since the start of the partnership, the bank has received over 4,000 kg of food.

“The topic of reducing food waste is an important part of our social commitment. We have introduced many measures to limit food waste. At the group level, we have set ourselves very ambitious goals – reducing food waste by 50% by 2030, compared to 2018. We at Kaufland Bulgaria are working on their implementation as a priority before this period”, emphasized Ivan Chernev during the event.

The company’s calculations show that over 22 million pieces/kg is the amount of food waste saved as a result of the effective planning of the unique smart system used by the retailer. It works on the basis of an analysis of historical data over an eight-year period, with indicators including interest in the product, seasonality, weather forecast, holidays, promotions and placement in a brochure or in a store.

Sustainability – a trend in consumer and business behavior

According to UN figures, the world will have thrown away over 1 billion tonnes of food in 2022. Food loss and waste generate 8-10% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions – almost five times the total emissions from the aviation sector. This is happening while 783 million people are hungry and a third of humanity faces food insecurity.

“According to the latest UN data, Bulgaria is not among the leaders in terms of the amount of food waste generated, but despite this, more than 500,000 tons of food is thrown away in our country every year. Bulgarians throw away an average of 68 kg per person every year, while the global trend is 79 kg/person. Waste is a global problem and will become an increasingly relevant topic given the predictions of food shortages. Kaufland Bulgaria is among the good examples of a holistic business model that works towards an effective fight against food waste at different levels. Their efforts and achieved results in this direction are impressive and are a clear message to everyone that everyone in the chain can contribute,” shared Darinka Georgieva, executive director of the Bulgarian Network of the UN Global Compact, a participant in the event. What we are witnessing today is a qualitative change in the way of thinking about consumption – both on the part of businesses and consumers, who are moving more and more towards sustainable products and sustainable behavior, commented Georgieva.

The donation of food with an approaching expiration date – social alternatives with a double meaning

In 2023, Kaufland Bulgaria launched a partnership with the “Faithful Guardian” food bank, to which it donates food with an approaching expiration date every week. As a result of the partnership, more than 4,000 units/kg of food have been donated in the territory of the city of Burgas.

“To date, we have helped tens of thousands of households and social institutions throughout the country, and the partnership with Kaufland allows us to extend our support to those in need. In the coming months, we plan to increase the number of cities in which we partner with another five (Varna, Ruse, Veliko Tarnovo, Pleven and Stara Zagora),” commented Nikolay Nikolov, coordinator at the “Faithful Guardian” food bank, to which the retailer carries out weekly donations from October 2023

An educational initiative against food waste instills food responsibility in over 4,000 students

Raising awareness starts in the family and continues on the school bench. That is why, in 2023, Kaufland Bulgaria launched a large-scale educational campaign together with the “saving unsold food” platform Foodobox under the title “The place of food is not in the garbage”.

“The goal of the initiative is to raise students’ awareness of the problem of food waste worldwide and to provoke them to look for alternative ways of preparing meals from what is available in the refrigerator. With Kaufland Bulgaria, we are like-minded in limiting the problem, because a responsible attitude to food is a responsibility to the future and to others,” said Jane Dimitrova, co-founder and executive director of Foodobox.

Within the pilot edition of the large-scale campaign over 4000 students between 1st and 7th grade from public schools in Sofia are covered by specially prepared interactive educational lectures. The socially significant initiative also aims to change habits and attitudes towards a more sustainable and responsible consumption of food resources.