Delhaize has launched 'Wild Strawberries', the latest addition to its 'wonky' fruits and vegetables line, which the retailer has been offering across its stores in Belgium and Luxembourg for the past four years.
According to Delhaize, a few weeks into the introduction of the strawberries, it has managed to sell 25 tonnes' worth of them across its stores. The retailer aims to use the new range to to 'save' 90 tonnes of fruits that would not ordinarily be sold to customers.
Consumer Interest
Delhaize introduced 'wonky' fruit and vegetables to its stores in 2015, after noting there was an interest from customers towards local, non standard fruits and vegetables that retain the same taste and qualities while constituting a more affordable option.
The sale of non-standard fruits and vegetables has been a recurring theme recently across European retailers such as Tesco in the UK, Aldi Süd or Penny in Germany, and Billa in Austria.
This also feeds into Delhaize effort to reduce food waste, as the retailer has been able to save 530 tonnes of fruits and vegetables that would have been discarded otherwise. Moreover, Delhaize is the first retailer to commit to such an initiative across its entire chain of stores in Belgium.
By promoting initiatives like this, Delhaize aims to halve its food waste by 2020 and is also committed to supplying as much as it can to food banks and charities. In 2017, the company says this has allowed more than 140 charities to distribute 3.9 million meals.
© 2018 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Matthieu Chassain. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
