Supermarket chain Sainsbury's is opening a pop-up store to resemble an 'inspirational freezer' showcasing innovative ways to reduce food waste through freezing - Sainsfreeze.
The new walk-in freezer concept store will show customers how to freeze unexpected foods, saving surplus food going to waste and helping people save money. The pop-up store opens in London's Boxpark Shoreditch this week, from 27-28th September. Looking like a regular Sainsbury's from the outside, the interior will greet customers with frozen groceries that would usually be bought fresh - shelves of fruit and veg, dairy, meat, fish and baked goods. What's more, all this will be being given away for free.
Foods normally found on each aisle will be frozen in innovative ways to help save space and keep food for longer, thus reducing food waste. From mixing wilting herbs with oil or water and freezing into ice cube trays – perfect for throwing straight into soups and stews - to portioning minced meat and freezing flat to save space, the retailer hopes the store will help teach customers new ways to freeze food that allows them to reduce waste in the home.
The items available have been selected off the back of research that revealed the items Brits most commonly throw away as they are about to go off, including milk, eggs, bread, and onions as well as other commonly wasted items foods, such as bananas and herbs.
Sainsbury's is committed to halving food waste across its operations by 2030. The retailer has sent zero waste to landfill since 2013, and recently announced the removal of 'best before' dates on 276 products. Additionally, September marks one year since Sainsbury's started working with Neighbourly, in which time it has donated over five million meals to those who need it most.
Ruth Cranston, Director of Corporate Responsibility & Sustainability at Sainsbury's commented, "We recognise the way our customers shop and eat has benefits for their health and the planet too. It's why our mission, helping everyone eat better, supports our customers to make healthier, more sustainable choices.
"When people think about climate change, food waste often gets overlooked. Around a third of food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted and it contributes a whopping 8-10% of greenhouse gas emissions globally each year. That is why we are launching Sainsfreeze, to help customers try and combat food waste and learn handy hints and top tips along the way. Innovative freezing not only allows us to save food we would otherwise have thrown away, but also to buy reduced food close to its use-by date, saving even more money on the weekly grocery bill."