Recently, Lidl Cyprus presented its new initiative, the “Choose Me” bag, aimed at saving fruit and vegetables, as part of the Project Food Waste concept. This innovative action aims to reduce food waste by offering a second purchase chance to products that may have minor visual defects, but remain of good quality and suitable for consumption.
To achieve this goal, Lidl Cyprus invested in the prevention of food waste, following the European Union’s food-recovery guidelines, as defined by the Food Waste pyramid. This initiative is part of the first level of the pyramid, which is about Avoidance through various practices, such as optimising ordering processes and additional discounts. These practices, combined with the United Nations’ recommendations for measuring food waste, guide the company’s actions.
Since 2020, Lidl has committed to reducing food waste by 50 per cent by 2030, compared to 2018. All divisions of the Schwarz group, which owns Lidl, are working towards this goal, which is aligned with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
The “Choose me” bag offers Lidl Cyprus customers the chance to buy fruit and vegetables at the preferential price of two euros for products weighing up to 4kg, thus contributing to the fight against food waste. Each bag contains fresh fruit and vegetables that have been carefully selected, ensuring they meet Lidl’s quality standards, regardless of any minor imperfections.
This initiative aims to reduce food waste and change consumer attitudes towards fruit and vegetables with visual defects. More specifically, the company aims to reduce the products from its store that end up in other streams of responsible management, or are discarded due to low demand, while enhancing customer satisfaction at the same time, as it continues to offer high quality products at the most competitive prices, with a sense of responsibility towards the environment.
With the action “Choose me”, Lidl Cyprus seeks to save significant amounts of food. Based on the positive response of its customers so far, as well as the analysis of sales data, the company estimates approximately 153 tonnes of fresh fruit and vegetables per year, will be given a second chance. Already, as of this August, the company has already managed to save over more than 2.5 tonnes of food.
Lidl Cyprus remains true to its commitment to sustainability and environmental protection through innovative initiatives, offering quality products to its consumers. The “Choose me” action is part of the company’s wider efforts towards responsible food consumption, on the way to a better tomorrow.
The initiative belongs to the field of “Good for the Environment”, with the main pillar of Resource Conservation, and fully aligned with the sustainability strategy of Lidl Cyprus, which continues to invest in actions promoting sustainable development and social well-being.
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