The topic of food waste has been a hot topic (and fortunately) in recent years. But despite this, the solutions to reduce it are still insufficient: just think that more than a billion tons of food is wasted every year worldwide. And what can be done to help halve these numbers? According to the Danish supermarket Wefood, we need to sell the food that has been discarded by large-scale distribution – because it has expired or simply because its packaging is damaged – but is still perfectly edible.
How Does It Work?
On the market for several years now, Wefood was born in Copenhagen, precisely in the Amager district, in 2016 from an initiative of DanChurchAid (Folkekirkens Nødhjælp), a Danish non-governmental organization: it is a real supermarket, where instead of fresh products just shipped by producers, there are shelves full of foods that, for some reason, have been discarded by department stores. Obviously these are not products that can harm people's health: "We observe the products, we smell them and we make sure they are still good" explains the creator of the project Bassel Hmeidan. In fact, it is not a given that expired foods are necessarily to be discarded, as many of them are absolutely safe even months after the expiration date. And even for those products that are not expired, but perhaps have an incorrect label or damaged packaging, they are given new life.
Choosing to buy their products not only means doing good for the environment, saving it from hundreds and hundreds of waste, but it is also an opportunity to save money for consumers: in fact, the prices are lower than the competition, with discounts ranging from 30% to 50%.
Anyone Who Embraces the Cause is Welcome
Another peculiarity concerns its employees: they are volunteers, from warehouse workers to cashiers, who are there only for charity, for whom the only thing that matters is the cause supported by the company. Those who make themselves available must guarantee a regular presence and follow specific training. As for customers, however, since it is not an environmental initiative aimed only at the wealthiest people, there are consumers of all income brackets and social classes: as reported by the Independent, the supermarket "is not only aimed at low-income shoppers, but at anyone who is concerned about the amount of food waste produced in this country" says Per Bjerre, one of the coordinators of the organization and head of Wefood.
The Grocery Store That is Good for The Environment and People
The goal of Wefood is not only to reduce food waste, but also to help the countries of the poorest areas of the world. In fact, the proceeds are donated to charity for assistance and development programs in Africa (Angola, Congo, Ethiopia, Malawi, South Sudan, Uganda, Zambia, Mali), Asia (Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Burma, Nepal) and the Middle East (Syria, Palestine and Lebanon). The goal is therefore not only to give a second chance to expired, damaged, incorrectly labeled or unsold products, but also to reduce world hunger.
Today they have six stores – three in Copenhagen and three in Jutland, also in Denmark – where in addition to food, it is also possible to buy recycled products such as clothes, shoes, accessories but also furniture and books.
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