The Federal Council of Switzerland has formally called on supermarkets to stop selling discounted meat multipacks with the aim of cutting food waste.
Although the multipack may be convenient for large families, it also gives consumers an incentive to buy more even if they do not really need it.
The measure has targeted meat because Switzerland is also aiming to achieve health and environmental benefits by consuming less meat and reducing production.
The process of production of beefsteak, beginning with breeding to slaughtering the animal and its arrival on the supermarket shelves, has a considerable impact on the environment compared to producing a potato.
According to data available, producing a kilogram of steak means emitting 99.48 kilograms of CO2 while producing the same amount of potatoes causes emissions of 0.46 kilograms.
Action Plan
The first step in the action plan formulated by the Federal Council, and signed by the major Swiss supermarkets, not only calls for avoiding discounts on large quantities, but also for unsold meat to be frozen before it expires and sold or donated later.
The big chains are aware of the problem of food waste and are already working to help reduce it considerably.
Migros, for example, is already applying the same discounts as used to be made on multipacks on single packs, while Denner is expanding its range of products sold in smaller quantities.
Should the supermarkets fail to fulfil the aims proposed by the Federal Council, the government reserves the right to take further measures.
Every year, 2.8 million food items are thrown away in Switzerland, and the federal government has now set a target of halving food waste by 2030.
© 2022 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest Supply Chain news. Article by Branislav Pekic. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
