Albert Tests Waste-Free Store in Prague

Every shop occasionally encounters surpluses in the form of food ordered but not sold. What is important, however, is how the stores handle them.

The Albert supermarket chain, for example, is already thinking about the management of food residues and is using some of its unsold products in new ways.

“The road to zero food waste is a complex puzzle of activities. Especially fresh, unpackaged food spoils quickly or is not sold in time,” warns communications director Jiří Mareček.

Another way to combat food waste is to keep some of the food fresh for as long as possible or to offer those that are close to their expiry date at lower prices.

The shelf life extension of food is also improved by using dry steam technology. Which is the more cost-effective version of freeze-drying and can help preserve nutrients while keeping the food fresh.

The subsequent use of food that would otherwise end up in the bin should not be forgotten.

Overripe bananas, for example, are a hit with cooks, who use them to make Christmas cookies and bake special sweet bread thanks to their sugary nature.

In other words, the zero-waste shop uses all possible ways and practices to avoid waste.

It is to be expected that other large retailers will soon adopt this way of selling. Not to mention the “marketing potential” of such an approach.

Households are the biggest producer of food waste