Lidl to combat food waste with massive discounts

Lidl is taking on the fight against food waste by experimenting with selling products for only 25 cents on their expiry date. The experiment, called 'Don't waste me, I'm still good', launched in 20 stores in the Gooi region and around Amersfoort this week, RTL Nieuws reports.

The experiment includes products like bread, meat and 2 kilogram boxes of fruit and vegetables. "With meat we of course also tell people to use it immediately or freeze it", a Lidl spokesperson said to the broadcaster.

The supermarket chain is also joining the Too Good To Go app, which puts cheap meal boxes together with food that restaurants and supermarkets would normally throw away. Albert Heijn and Jumbo already collaborate with the app.

Every year in the Netherlands about a third of all food is thrown away. In line with United Nations goals, the Dutch government wants to reduce food waste by half by 2030.

A number of supermarkets are already combating food waste. Albert Heijn, for example, recently experimented with models that calculate discount on fresh products based on their expiry date. The discounts then automatically appeared on electronic price tags. "The first reactions were positive. Customers understood it and the underlying technology worked well", a spokesperson for the supermarket chain said to RTL.