Hamburg (ots) – According to the Federal Statistical Office, around eleven million tonnes of food waste are generated in Germany alone every year. 59% of this is caused by private households. This is around 78 kilograms of food per person in the bin – which equates to almost 350 euros in avoidable costs per year for a family of four. In times of inflation, this hurts many consumers:
inside especially. Under the motto “Good for the environment and your wallet”, EDEKA is organizing the food appreciation campaign month for the first time from September 15 to October 15. Consumers receive useful information and tips on how to handle food more consciously and thus produce less food waste – with a positive effect on their wallets. For more information, see: www.edeka.de/lebensmittelwertschaetzung
Despite rising food prices, a lot of food is still thrown away in German households. To raise awareness of this, EDEKA has launched the “Food Appreciation” campaign month. The aim of the initiative is to raise customers’ awareness of issues such as waste generation and the associated climate and resource protection. “We love food – that is the guiding principle for our daily actions. Every food is a valuable commodity that has been produced with a lot of effort in the interaction of nature and agriculture. We are constantly developing innovative and consumer-oriented solutions to further reduce food waste along the entire value chain,” says Markus Mosa, CEO of EDEKA ZENTRALE Stiftung & Co. KG.
Part of the initiative is a “10-day challenge” with many motivating tasks on topics such as shopping planning, food storage and using leftovers, which can help people rethink and change their own habits. Consumers can also find information on the EDEKA social media channels and on various social channels of influencers with a wide reach. This creates added value for customers when shopping and at the same time shows them potential savings. Especially in times of rising prices and inflation, it is all the more worthwhile to be more conscious about food. In all participating EDEKA stores there are a variety of products with the best price-performance ratio. Those who shop consciously and throw away as little as possible also save money. Under the motto “Completely happy”, customers can win valuable prizes during the campaign month on the website www.edeka.de/gewinnspiel. The task: to create delicious dishes in a creative way using surplus food and leftovers. The EDEKA magazines MIT LIEBE, das schmeckt, YUMMI and GOLD accompany the campaign month – as does the EDEKA podcast “ISS SO” with a special episode on the topic of food appreciation.
Committed to greater food appreciation
The EDEKA Group is aware of its responsibility as a leading food retailer and is committed to actively contributing to halving food waste at the consumer and retail level by 2030 within the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) – in particular SDG 12.3 and the Federal Government’s Agenda 2030. The EDEKA Group is actively involved in shaping the implementation of the goal and is also embedding it in existing actions for greater sustainability. The EDEKA Group is accompanied by sustainability expert Dirk Steffens, who provides support in an advisory capacity.
The approximately 3,500 independent retailers, the seven EDEKA wholesalers and the EDEKA headquarters are committed to reducing surplus food in retail to a minimum and sensitizing consumers to the responsible handling of food. Throwing away surplus food is not only critical from an ecological point of view, but also represents an economic loss. The EDEKA group is therefore investing in modern merchandise management systems that optimize the flow of goods and avoid oversupply right from the start. Thanks to efficient warehouse locations and logistics processes, as little food as possible is lost through transport and storage. Visually less attractive but qualitatively impeccable goods are processed into freshly prepared convenience products in many markets. The EDEKA retailers and wholesalers are also among the most important sponsors of the approximately 900 local food bank initiatives and other social institutions across Germany, to which they regularly donate food. The Federal Association of Food Banks e. V. has awarded EDEKA the “Tafel-Teller” award every year since 2014. The EDEKA group is also making progress at a regional level with innovative retail solutions. Two examples: EDEKA Südwest offers perishable food at significantly reduced purchase prices in its stores via an internal commodity exchange. Fruit and vegetables that are no longer saleable are given a “second life” as chutney or fruit spread in the “Liebe²” project by EDEKA Minden-Hannover and the Diakonische Stiftung Wittekindshof.
EDEKA – Germany’s most successful entrepreneur initiative
The profile of the medium-sized and cooperative EDEKA group is based on the successful interaction of three levels: Around 3,500 independent retailers nationwide give EDEKA a face. At the retail level, they take on the role of the local supplier that stands for food quality and enjoyment. They are supported by seven regional wholesalers that deliver fresh goods to EDEKA stores every day and also support them with everything from sales to expansion issues. The EDEKA strategy is coordinated at the EDEKA headquarters in Hamburg. It controls the national goods business as well as the successful “We love food” campaign and provides a wide range of impulses for the realization of cross-group goals. With its subsidiary Netto Marken-Discount, it also sets successful accents in the discount business. Specialist retail formats such as BUDNI or NATURKIND, cooperation with online-based delivery services such as Picnic and the bulk consumer business with EDEKA Foodservice round off the broad range of services offered by the group. In 2021, EDEKA achieved sales of 62.7 billion euros with over 11,100 stores and around 405,000 employees. With around 19,900 trainees, EDEKA is one of the leading training providers in Germany.
Press contact:
EDEKA ZENTRALE Foundation & Co. KG
Corporate Communications
Phone: 040 / 6377 – 2182
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https://verbund.edeka
Additional material:
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Source: EDEKA ZENTRALE Stiftung & Co. KG