People lining outside the supermarket to buy stuffs
In an attempt to combat the nation’s food wastage problem, Denmark
has opened the world’s very first supermarket that sells expired or
damaged products.
Ever since the grand opening in Copenhagen last Monday, people have
been lining up outside WeFood for a chance to purchase discounted items
that would otherwise have ended up in the trash because of damaged
packaging or very short use-by dates.
Food, cosmetics, and other household items at WeFood are priced at least 30 to 50 percent lower than at regular stores.
“WeFood is the first supermarket of its kind in Denmark and
perhaps the world, as it is not just aimed at low-income shoppers but
anyone who is concerned about the amount of food wastage produced in the
country,” said project head Per Bjerre.
“Many people see this as a positive and politically correct way to approach the issue.”
The grand inauguration was attended by Denmark’s Princess Marie, and former minister for food and environment, Eva Kjer Hansen.
“It’s ridiculous that food is just thrown out or goes to waste,” said Hansen, who was full of praise for the initiative. “It
is bad for the environment and it is money spent on absolutely nothing.
A supermarket like WeFood makes so much sense and is an important step
in the battle to combat food waste.”
While Denmark alone is estimated to waste about 700,000 tons of
food every year, the United Nations has stated that globally, food waste
amounts to a whopping 1.3 billion tons. These are shocking figures,
considering the fact that about 795 million people in the world are
undernourished, according to the World Food Program.
Denmark, however, has adopted several measures to clean up its act,
wasting 25% less food than it did five years ago. One such initiative
is The Food Bank, a local nonprofit that distributes surplus food to
homeless shelters.
The WeFood project is a collaboration between The Food Bank and
religious charity DanChurch Aid. Together they raised over 1 million
kroner (nearly $150,000) over the past year, through crowdfunding. They
also had to face many legislative obstacles while convincing the
government to permit the sale of expired food. They were finally allowed
to implement the project, and the store is now run exclusively by
volunteers. Profits are used to fund DanChurch Aid’s other projects in
developing nations like South Sudan and Bangladesh.
Provided WeFood’s remains popular in the long term and if it is
able to maintain its food deliveries, DanChurch Aid plans to open
multiple branches across Denmark.
Sources: Quartz, RT
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