Tesco to Give Away Expiring Food for Free in New Trial
Tesco is launching a trial that will allow customers to take expiring food for free at the end of the day in select Express stores. Currently, the supermarket discounts soon-to-expire items by up to 90%, but under this new system, anything left unsold after 9:30 PM will be available at no cost. Tesco says this initiative is part of its goal to halve food waste and reach net zero emissions.
The company will first offer the food to charities and employees before making it available to shoppers. While Tesco has long donated unsold food, some of it has previously been used for energy generation, which still counts as waste. This move comes as demand for discounted food surges, with rising living costs pushing more shoppers toward yellow-sticker deals.
Tesco has not disclosed which stores will participate or when the trial will begin. Other major supermarkets, including Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, and Waitrose, have confirmed they are not currently planning to follow suit. However, Tesco expects the initiative to significantly reduce waste in its Express stores and will assess its success before considering wider implementation.
