Food Waste
**As a major food retailer, we are determined to do whatever we can to reduce food waste, right across the value chain**
Reducing Food Waste
At Asda we hate waste of any kind, so reducing food waste is one of our strategic priorities. We focus on three areas: reduction, redistribution and repurpose.
Food loss and waste can happen at every stage of the supply chain and as a large retailer we recognise the vital role we play in addressing this issue. Reducing food waste can lower greenhouse gas emissions from food production, transportation and decomposition, and it can also save water, land and energy that are otherwise used to produce food that is never consumed.
The reasons for food waste occurring are complex, based on things like forecasting, weather, sales, types of products left unsold and redistribution routes.
- Household Food WasteWe continue to look at where we can help reduce customer waste, in 2022, we removed best before dates on almost 250 fresh fruit and vegetable products to help customers reduce food waste in the home and save money and in 2023 went further by changing the use by dates on over half of our own brand yoghurts to a best before date, to reduce edible yoghurt thrown away each year (by all retailers).
- Operational Food WasteBalancing product availability with minimising waste is a constant challenge impacted by extreme weather and changing customer demands.
- Supply Chain Food WasteIn any food supply chain, waste will occur through the production, processing, distribution and presentation of the food at the shelf edge. In 2022 we listened to our suppliers who asked for more options for redistributing surplus own label products and increased redistribution of surplus food by partnering with more charities across the UK.
Too Good To go
Asda is tackling food waste and supporting communities through its expanded food donation program with Too Good To Go (TGTG) and Olio, as it continues to focus on ensuring edible food is not wasted. The partnerships announced in 2024 form part of Asda's continued efforts to help redistribute or redirect surplus food with long-standing food redistribution charity FareShare. These collaborations allow Asda to donate edible surplus food from its stores. Prioritising FareShare ensures food donations are maximised across FareShare's network of over 8,500 charities and community groups in the process.
To collect the Surprise Bags, customers can search for a nearby Asda store in the Too Good To Go app. Users can also select when they wish to pick up their bag.
In early 2025, we teamed up with Podback to make recycling used plastic and aluminium coffee pods easier, via our Asda toYou parcel returns service offered at 600+ of our stores. The free to use Podback service was set up by Nestle. In their original form the coffee pods can’t be recycled, due to their size and content, however through Podback, the coffee grounds are transformed into renewable energy and soil improver, with the aluminium and plastic from the used pods being used in the manufacture of products such as drink cans, building products and garden furniture. Find your nearest recycling point: https://www.podback.org/recycle-checker
Asda donates 1m meals as part of new fruit and veg pledge
We are proud to be a member of the Coronation Food Project, Coordinated by King Charles III Charitable Fund. The Project seeks to bridge the gap between food waste and food need across all four nations of the United Kingdom, aiming to save more surplus food, improve distribution networks, and support the sector and innovative food rescue initiatives.
We have donated the equivalent of one million meals in 2025, as part of a brand-new “Winter Fruit and Veg pledge” with FareShare and the Coronation Food Project. Running from January to March, the initiative oversaw the donation of over 420 tonnes of fresh fruit and vegetables to the UK’s biggest charity fighting hunger and tackling food waste.
The donation will support FareShare’s nationwide network of charities including afterschool and breakfast clubs, homelessness shelters, and older people’s lunch clubs. As many families face rising heating bills, FareShare will face even greater demand during the colder months, and is expected to deliver 50million meals over the winter period.
A variety of fruit & vegetables will be donated as part of the project*, including carrots, parsnips, cabbage, sprouts, pears, grapes, citrus fruits, and potatoes.
The donations will be provided via Asda’s wholly owned subsidiary IPL, and continues the support provided by IPL and Asda as part of the Coronation Food Project in 2023. IPL & Asda were an original partner to pledge support to the project and provided 1.2m Christmas dinners during the first initiative – supporting nearly 4000 charities and over 450,000 individual beneficiaries.
FareShare and Asda
In 2023 we marked 10 years of continued support of FareShare. In that time, we have provided surplus food from our stores and depots which FareShare has redistributed to their network of over 8,500 charities and community groups in the process.
In proud partnership with:-
