Finnish Market Hosts “Happy Hour” Discounted Sales in an Attempt to Fight Food Waste!

Food waste is a recognized problem around the globe. One Finland supermarket has a revolutionary new solution. The grocer S-market puts food at a steep discount hours before foods are set to expire. All 900 stores participate in this “happy hour,” available to customers on a regular basis. The company sees it as a win-win, since the program reduces food waste and helps customers.

S-market customers shop for meat, fish and other products starting at 9pm to receive discounts. Most products discounted are set to expire at midnight. By removing the product from shelves, the store benefits because food waste is reduced and Climate change impact is limited. Grocery stores have to pay to get wasted food picked up, this reduces the amount they have to ship elsewhere.

A company executive said the program was financially beneficial to S-market, “When we sell at 60 percent off, we don’t earn any money, but we earn more than if the food was given to charity.”

Food waste and Climate change are directly correlated. When food is mixed with other trash in landfills, it emits methane, a harmful greenhouse gas. By removing it’s landfill impact by selling it to consumers (if they do indeed use their purchased groceries), S-market is helping Climate change by reducing emissions.

Grocery stores in the United States don’t have a great track record of sustainable food waste disposal. A 2018 report from the Center for Biological Diversity and The “Ugly” Fruit and Veg campaign looked at food waste at the the 10 biggest grocery stores in the United States. Grocery stores are not transparent about food waste, only some had food waste commitments and most rely on food donation programs for their food waste.

Food waste facts and figures are staggering. Research from the United Nations estimates that a third of all food of food produced for human consumption is lost or thrown away. This costs $680 billion for developing countries annually. Fruits and vegetables are the most wasted food types.

To alleviate emissions associated with food waste, consumers can separate their food for compost, buy only what they need and encourage others to do the same.

Read more One Green Planet coverage of food waste, including information on grocery stores and expiration dates.

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