In a groundbreaking move to slash waste, Tesco has started handing out free food. The retail giant is introducing a new yellow sticker system that signals which products shoppers can take home without opening their wallets. Regular customers are accustomed to seeing yellow stickers indicating reduced prices, with discounts previously reaching up to 90% off. Now, however, they should look for special stickers marked ‘free’.
This initiative not only aims to minimise waste but also offers a helping hand to those struggling financially during the ongoing cost-of-living crisis. Yet, despite being a significant stride towards Tesco’s Net Zero ambition, it won’t be available in all stores. The trial is set to take place in a “small number of Tesco Express stores,” with the stickers appearing after 9.30pm. The specific locations participating in the trial remain under wraps, and there’s no word yet on whether the scheme will roll out across the country after a certain period, reports the Mirror.
While Tesco hasn’t officially disclosed which items will be included, some perceptive shoppers have already noticed the free goods offered. Some have noticed meal deal items such as sandwiches, fruit, and sushi that were about to expire.
Anyone coming across a free item can pick it up along with their shopping, but it still must be scanned at the till like every other paid-for item. The produce will only be offered to shoppers if it’s not already taken by charities, local groups or specific store staff, it has been reported.
The reality behind a cost-of-living crisis:
The most recent government data from 2022 to 2023 makes for stark reading as it reveals that 2.3 million people, equating to 3% of the population, live in homes requiring a food bank. These services are set up within communities where individuals can pick up free, donated food items to get by when money is increasingly tight.
The Trussell Trust, which delivers important food parcels to those who have fallen on hard times, said: “More than 3.1 million emergency food parcels were distributed by Trussell’s community of food banks in the past 12 months the most parcels ever distributed in a year and nearly double the number compared to five years ago.”