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Reduce food waste - utilise leftovers

Leftover food often ends up in the bin - but that doesn't have to be the case. METRO relies on innovative measures and clever strategies to counteract food waste in the catering industry.

In 19 countries, Metro has been maintaining partnerships with food banks in Germany at many locations for more than 20 years
Leftover food doesn't necessarily belong in the bin, but on the plate. How food waste can be reduced.
Food - and the world is wasting it. Our strategy for better handling of the resource food.

What´s it all about?

  • What strategies are there to combat food waste?
  • How is METRO working to reduce food waste?
  • Which partnerships help in the fight against food waste?
8 new partnerships with METRO France last year

Food waste is a global problem. It not only affects the utilisation of leftovers in the kitchen, but also the entire supply chain - from production to storage and transport to retail. A lot of food is lost before it even reaches the end consumer. Around a third of all food worldwide ends up in the bin, which equates to an incredible 1.05 billion tonnes per year. At the same time, 722 million people go hungry.

Some facts:

  • 1 kilo of bread = 1,600 litres of water wasted
  • Food waste causes 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions
  • If food waste were a country, it would be the third largest CO2 producer after the USA and China

For more sustainability and against food waste

Reducing food waste is a central aspect of METRO's sustainability strategy. The goal is in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 12.3. For this reason, METRO has committed to reducing food waste in its own business operations by by 2025 as part of the Consumer Goods Forum (CGF) resolution on food waste.

In addition, METRO is involved in other measures to combat food waste:


Food banks stop food waste

Food banks collect leftover, perfectly good food and distribute it to those in need. The food collected is often still edible, but would normally be disposed of for various reasons, such as overproduction or approaching the best-before date. Food banks come in different varieties, such as regional distribution centres that distribute large quantities of food to local aid organisations, mobile food banks that bring food directly to communities in need and stationary distribution points that hand out food to people in need. Donations of meat and fish products are often subject to special health regulations.

In 19 countries, Metro has been maintaining partnerships with food banks in Germany at many locations for more than 20 years

In 22 countries we cooperate with food service organizations and social institutions in order to avoid food waste in our stores, restaurants and warehouses.

Startups - Innovation Instead of Hunger

Often small, subtle ideas eradicate great inequalities. METRO AG is committed to UN Sustainable Development Goal 2 to eliminate hunger in the world (SDG2 - Zero Hunger). To this end, we promote innovative business ideas that use smart approaches to reduce global food waste. Our partners:

WholeSurplus (Turkey)

  • Idea: reduce food waste as in an ecosystem; utilise the digital marketplace to easily deliver food to food banks, social institutions or animal shelters; better, transparent quantification and monitoring of food waste in real time through data analysis features, enabling targeted process improvement
  • Mission: expansion of cooperation to other METRO countries; first talks with the stores in Romania, Italy and Russia

TooGoodToGo (Germany)

  • Idea: The company provides a platform to sell surplus food that otherwise goes to waste in a specially branded bag (the Magic Bag) at reduced prices. It operates an app that allows food waste fighting end-consumers to buy unsold food from participating METRO stores.
  • In 3 countries, METRO is working with Too Good To Go (TGTG).
  • Mission: reinvent consumer behaviour

Freshflow (Germany)

  • Idea: Development of an AI-driven software solution for retailers and wholesalers to optimise the procurement of fresh food
  • Function: Use real-time data to accurately predict sales figures in order to minimise food waste
  • Mission: Partnership with METRO AG to optimise purchasing processes for perishable foods; focus on reducing food waste and environmental impact
  • https://www.freshflow.ai/

The Mission Food ( Germany)

  • Idea: A funding programme developed by Futury GmbH that connects large companies and start-ups to develop innovative solutions to reduce food waste
  • Mission: To develop practical, environmentally friendly solutions to improve efficiency in food supply; to work with start-ups to minimise food waste and optimally meet customer needs

Using creativity to utilise leftovers

Utilising leftovers means using leftover food creatively and efficiently to avoid waste and make optimum use of resources. What sounds sober at first, offers real opportunities for caterers. Because in restaurant kitchens, where large quantities of fresh ingredients are processed every day, there is often a surplus. So why not conjure up a flavoursome broth from vegetable scraps or turn stale bread into crispy croutons? The art of utilising leftovers transforms seemingly useless ingredients into culinary highlights and saves money at the same time. At the same time, the ecological footprint is reduced - a win-win situation for the restaurant and the environment

Further articles