Innovative supermarket in Berlin resells all unattractive food that other grocery stores refuse to sell, in an effort to reduce food waste. The SirPlus supermarket mainly stocks food that is either expired or close to expiring, offering its customers prices that are reduced up to 80% compared to the mainstream supermarket chains. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that approximately 1.3 billion tons of food is going to waste yearly -which is equivalent to 1/3 of all the food being produced globally.
With the majority of food waste coming from Europe and North America, it is estimated that the average European will waste about 95 to 115 kilos of food in a year.
SirPlus quality assurance specialist Timo Schmitt and his team, who inspect all rejected food from other supermarkets daily, have noticed that plenty of food gets rejected for something as trivial as a cucumber not have been grown at a 90-degree angle. Products that have passed their expiration date go under careful inspection so as to make sure that they are safe to consume.
"We check smell, taste, consistency, and packaging," Schmitt told Klaus Sieg, a Hamburg journalist. "If in doubt, we call in a laboratory."
So long as the edible products are assumed safe to eat, and the consumer also assesses the possible risks before purchasing, selling expired edible products is legal under German law.
In a 2017 interview, Sirplus founders Raphael Fellmer and Martin Scott, explain that
"Suppliers such as farmers, […] wholesalers [and] retailers have a strong economic incentive to partner with us. When buying or trading their surplus via our marketplace […] we're saving them significant disposal costs while providing a new revenue source".
Four years ago, France passed a law under which supermarkets are not permitted to throw away food that has reached its sell-by date so that the food can be either donated to food banks or recycled into pet food.
In 2019, SirPlus managed to save 2000 tons of food. The business also plans to expand by opening more stores around the country, starting from Berlin during 2020. The founders also intend to launch their own brand line with SirPlus being a label specifically for food that is spared, as well as an online platform to sell and distribute their products.
They have also created the Rescue Box subscription service they call 'Retterbox', which involves quality-controlled products that have been rescued from dumpsters and delivered to your home with free shipping.
COMMENTS