Tesco, the UK's largest supermarket chain, has announced it will trial giving away food nearing its expiration date for free, aiming to cut down on food waste and achieve its sustainability targets.
The new initiative will see the supermarket implement a "yellow sticker" system, marking certain items with prices reduced to £0 just before closing time. Customers visiting select Express stores after 9:30 PM will be able to take these items home for free, ensuring they do not go to waste.
According to Tesco, this trial will be conducted at some of its smaller Express outlets. Before free distribution to customers, the expiring items will first be offered to charities and shop employees. A Tesco spokesperson stated, "This trial will allow customers to take any remaining yellow-stickered items for free at the end of the day, after they have first been offered to charities and colleagues." This direct-to-customer approach marks the first of its kind among major UK supermarkets.
The initiative is part of Tesco's ambitious plan to halve food waste as part of its broader net-zero emissions target set for 2025. Having previously claimed to have reduced food waste by 45% since 2017, the company had to revise this figure down to just 18% after discovering errors related to waste reporting processes, which included the use of methane digestion systems to produce fuel from food waste.
With food prices rising and inflation affecting household budgets, many UK residents are finding it increasingly difficult to afford basic staples. Recent estimates indicate more than seven million people, or approximately 11% of the UK population, lived in "food insecure households" during the 2022/2023 period. This statistic is particularly concerning as it signifies an increase of two million from the previous year, highlighting the urgency of food waste and insecurity issues.
Charities, including the Trussell Trust, report surges in demand for food aid, with over 1.4 million new users relying on food banks within the last two years. Rivalling other supermarkets, Tesco has already donated millions of meals to organizations, utilizing its existing partnerships with charities to address food wastage head-on. The chain reported rewarding outcomes from their recent Winter Food Collection initiative, where customers donated the equivalent of 1.9 million meals.
Industry experts believe Tesco's proactive shift reflects larger infrastructure issues within food distribution, amid complaints from customers about increasing competition for offers. Shoppers have recently clashed, sometimes violently, over discounted items; reports of skirmishes over the last unit of heavily reduced food items have emerged too. Consequently, retailers are under more pressure to find sustainable solutions to food wastage and rising consumer costs.
While the new initiative aligns with Tesco's sustainability goals, other supermarkets have voiced divergent views. Sainsbury's, for example, has begun trials redistributing food approaching its "use-by" date but has not yet adopted the £0 sticker concept. Morrisons and Waitrose have indicated no plans to follow suit, adopting different methods to manage surplus food.
Tesco’s actions indicate to consumers their commitment to the environment and social responsibility. They respond to shifts within the consumer demographic, with Chief Executive Ken Murphy previously warning businesses unwilling to adapt might become irrelevant to increasingly eco-conscious shoppers.
Overall, the trial appears timely, especially as food inflation continues to challenge families, with specific grocery staples noted as markedly more expensive than the previous year. It’s also clear this innovative approach seeks to mitigate the impact of consumers feeling pressed by rising costs.
With this new initiative slowly rolling out, market observers will be watching closely to gauge its effectiveness and scalability as part of Tesco’s pledge to remain at the forefront of both ethical retailing and sustainability.
Despite the pressures surrounding the grocery sector, Tesco’s recent sales data suggests strength, with confidence shown from strong performance indicators during the last holiday season. Nonetheless, Tesco's share price saw a slight decline of 0.5% on March 13, 2025, as markets continued to react to broader economic concerns.
Returning to the heart of the issue, Tesco’s trial provides an opportunity for consumers to help reduce food waste effectively. It also showcases proactive corporate responsibility during challenging economic conditions. If successful, other supermarkets may soon follow suit.