Taking “zero waste” to heart

A variety of cutting-edge citizen initiatives have made this country a trailblazer in reducing food waste.

“Our store carries a bit of everything. Olive oil, chocolate, beer, vegetables, fruit. Over here are some strawberries we recovered yesterday. Since some of the containers are damaged, the supermarket that was selling them chose to get rid of the entire batch and sell different produce that was better-looking. And instead of throwing the strawberries away, he called us and we loaded them into our van.” Jan-Martin Mikkelsen is the manager at one of Copenhagen’s two Wefood outlets.

These general (and generous) stores only sell food that was going “ to be thrown away – because of poor packaging, an expired sell-by date, or because it doesn’t meet the usual standards. Wefood recovers the products, repackages them if necessary, and sells them at anywhere between 30% and 50% below the original price.

These general (and generous) stores only sell food that was going to be thrown away

“In fact,” Jan-Martin continues, “every item we sell has a story.” Everything is of course still perfectly edible. In the early days, consumers were hesitant, unconvinced that the articles had been rejected simply because of missing labels, or because the bottles were dirty. These charitable supermarkets, created in 2016 by the Christian humanitarian organisation DanChurchAid, serve a dual purpose: to sell products at lower prices and, most importantly, to combat food waste.

“A third of the world’s food goes to waste,” says Birgitte Qvist-Sorensen, the charity’s General Secretary, in their premises opposite the central train station near the Tivoli gardens. “And yet, at the same time, 800 million people around the world are going hungry.” This staggering reality is what spurred Qvist-Sorensen to open these stores that are simultaneously economical, ecological and social enterprises.

“DanChurchAid’s founding mission has been to help the poor and fight hunger across the planet. When we realised what a major factor food waste was, especially in Europe, we wanted to take action. In Denmark alone, 700,000 tonnes of food are wasted every year.”

Wefood stores are regularly stocked, user-friendly, volunteer-operated and open to everyone. The money from sales is used to pay taxes and rent, while the remaining profits are invested in DanChurchAid humanitarian missions. “Last year, we recovered 173 tonnes of food. This year, we expect to save 250 tonnes. We opened a third store in northern Denmark in 2018 and more locations will start operations this winter.”

An instant hit

Within Europe, Denmark stands at the forefront of the fight against food waste. Its culture and national values make it a land conducive to a zerowaste culture, with an advanced awareness of ecological issues, an orientation toward improved sharing of resources, and notably forward-thinking urban communities. But, who exactly was responsible for getting the movement started? In 2008, Russian student Selina Juul created a Facebook page intended to publicly condemn the absurdity of the senseless food waste rife across Western communities.

“I grew up in Soviet Russia where the stores were very poorly stocked,” she recalls. “Back in those days, waste wasn’t an option in Moscow. In 2008, I was studying graphic communications at the School of Media and Journalism and was looking for ideas to make the world a better place. The challenge of reducing food waste was a natural pursuit for me.”

Volunteer-managed Wefood stores are open to everyone.

Her “Stop Wasting Food” Facebook page (Stop spild af mad in Danish) was an instant success. Soon after, Denmark’s Rema 1000 discount supermarkets contacted Juul to help them fi nd a way to cut down on their quantities of unsold goods. “We have everything to gain,” she adds. “It saves time, saves money and saves the planet.” Juul is still pursuing her mission in Denmark, but is now also working across Europe to broaden the scope of her project. During a recent TEDx presentation, she reminded her audience: “The expression ‘best if used by’ on labelling doesn’t mean ‘toxic after this date’!” Between 2010 and 2018, the people of Denmark managed to reduce their food waste by 33%, and successive governments have continued to treat the issue as a serious priority. Most supermarkets also appear committed to the cause. However, Danish households still throw out 260,000 tonnes of food a year. “We have a lot of work to do on consumer awareness,” Selina says.

Responding to an ecological emergency

Serkan Coskun became aware of the waste problem while working at a hotel in central Copenhagen. “The orders always far surpass demand. Every day, at least 30% of the food goes into the trash.” To do his bit, Coskun volunteers with ‘Foodsharing’, an initiative founded in 2016 that gives away free fruit and vegetables recovered from markets and supermarkets twice each week. On this particular May morning, Serkan is sorting crates of melons, asparagus, mushrooms, cucumbers, lemons, apples and bananas in a Sydhaven district community hall. “We distribute food here each Wednesday to 150 people. When I started two years ago, there weren’t as many people showing up. This whole culture of consuming unsold products is spreading.” Working alongside him is 29-year-old Roxana Gabriela Zlate, who coordinates the work performed by the organisation’s volunteers. “Foodsharing also offers ‘Disco Soups’ – free dance parties in public places that involve preparing a shared meal,” she adds.

Twice a week, Foodsharing gives away unsold fruits and vegetables.

Zlate discovered the enormity of the food-waste problem when she began witnessing the effects of climate change on Denmark: warmer, drier summers and heavy rains leading to dramatic flooding. “We’re living through an ecological emergency,” she warns. “Overproduction of waste – and not just food – contributes to the depletion of the planet’s resources. As temperatures continue to rise and the climate becomes increasingly unpredictable, statistics tell us we’ll likely have 11 billion humans on earth by the end of the 21 st century. We have to get organised in new ways so we don’t compromise our future.”

It’s not just about selling things for less – there’s a strong desire to raise consumer awareness.

On the terrace of his brand-new premises, smiling young businessman Mikkel Fog is dressed in a white shirt, bow tie and Bermuda shorts. He is explaining the workings of the waste-minimising application he has developed, for start-up ‘Too Good to Go’. “Our app connects merchants and individuals so that unsold items can be put to good use. Customers can use their smartphones to reserve the day’s unsold items at the stores in their neighbourhoods, and then go to pick them up. For now, we’re working with 2,000 retailers in Denmark and 16,000 across Europe.” But the entrepreneur knows that an application isn’t everything. “We really want to increase awareness more quickly,” he says. “We opened a store in downtown Copenhagen in 2018 to connect with and inform our customers.” We head over to Nyelandsvej Street in the Frederiksberg district, where manager Mads Christensen welcomes us warmly. “We sell foods recovered from various outlets, marking down to much lower prices, but this location is more than anything a place to talk and share knowledge. We regularly give lectures to students, for instance. Like all the stakeholders involved in this emerging circular economy, aimed at reducing food waste – and waste in general – we believe that educating the public is a priority.”