Consumers Help Marks and Spencer Expand Sustainability

 

Once again Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® points out how 2021 is fast becoming the year of from ‘me too we’ within the fresh food space.  Regular readers of this blog know that United Kingdom grocery retailer Marks & Spencer has established it success focusing on consumer relevant touchpoints. 

Marks & Spencer has announced that based on consumer adoption that is it is extending its initiative to turn unsold fresh bakery loaves into frozen garlic bread to 200 stores as part of its 2030 goal to halve food waste.  We have been informed that the decision to expand the initiative to more stores follows a successful pilot project in eight outlets.

So, get this the Head of business collaboration at WRAP, David Moon, said, “Bread is the second most wasted food item in the home, with around one million loaves thrown away every day. As a short shelf-life item, bread can also become a surplus at the end of trading.

“This initiative from M&S is a simple solution to a real problem that turns a surplus item into a brand-new product to be enjoyed anew, and stops food being wasted.” At the end of each day, unsold baguettes and boules at M&S stores are filled with garlic butter and frozen. The process extends the shelf life of the item by 30 days, the retailer added.

So, according to Paul Willgoss, M&S food director of technology, “Our customers love the freshness and quality of our in-store bakery products, but their short shelf-life means it can be a challenging area for waste.

“By turning leftover loaves into frozen garlic bread, we’re not only creating delicious new products for family mealtimes, but we’re also helping to Spark Change together with our customers to significantly reduce waste.” Sustainability will be the focus and talking point within all sectors of foodservice in 2021 as the importance of the ‘halo’ of better for you becomes top of mind in consumer relevance according to Johnson.

Are you looking for a new partnership to drive sales? Are you ready for some fresh ideations? Do your food marketing tactics look more like yesterday that tomorrow?  Visit GrocerantGuru.com for more information or contact: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us Remember success does leave clues and we just may have the clue you need to propel your continued success.