UK Edition
Look inside the UK's first 'food waste' supermarket
UK supermarkets throw away at least 115,000 tonnes of perfectly good food every year - and this new 'food waste' supermarket is working with stores to put this food to good use.
The Real Junk Food Project has opened its first warehouse in Leeds, which acts as a food waste supermarket, so the needy can take food which would otherwise have been thrown in the bin.
The supermarket has deals with supermarkets including Sainsbury’s, Morrisons and Ocado, and also works with local allotments, cafes, food banks and caterers.
People pay for their goods on a donations basis - they are expected to pay what they can afford, or they are welcome to donate their time in volunteering for the project instead.
According to the Guardian, the people behind the project get donated so much bread from supermarkets, they have trouble shifting it.
Operations manager Keith Annal said supermarkets "make so much of it, and then they chuck out so much of it".
There were also Marks & Spencer cakes, and other luxury goods such as posh crisps, grapes, tomatoes, jars of olives and and Ferrero Rocher chocolates.
Although the food may be out-of-date, it is perfectly safe to eat.
The Real Junk Food Project says on its website: "Every single Pay As You Feel cafe that is part of the Real Junk Food Project network adheres to all Environmental Health regulations within their respective establishment.
"This includes transporting food safely, storing it safely, cooking and re-heating it safely.
"We intercept food that is past its expiration date and use our own judgement on whether we believe the food is fit for human consumption or not, by smelling it, tasting it and visually inspecting it. We do not turn food away simply because it has ‘expired’, but we will never serve food that we believe is unfit for human consumption."
The project also runs cafes up and down the country, which cook with food donated to them by local establishments, and have a similar pay as you feel policy as the supermarket.