The supermarket that only offers unsold food

In Leeds, UK, There's the most original anti-waste supermarket ever seen in Europe. It only sells what's classified as "food waste": unsold products, contained in dented packaging, close to their expiration date, or with some defect. But perfectly edible. These foods arrive from other supermarkets, wholesalers, or the very factories that produce them, and are destined to become waste.

The project is called The Real Junk Food Project and the initiative has started da Adam Smith, an English chef interested in fighting food waste.

Food comes from various sources:

• surplus and unsold goods from supermarkets and large chains;
• products donated by restaurants, bars, local shops and wholesalers;
• food collected by volunteers and community partners.

The idea is to recover perfectly edible food that is often discarded for logistical reasons, “expiration” dates, or excess stock.

In addition to fighting waste, the project also includes assistance for families struggling to meet their daily food costs.

So, instead of fixed prices, food can be paid for in two ways:

• you pay what you think is fair for the food you choose;
• or you can “pay” with time or with skills (for example by helping with organization, collection, or management).

This model is intended to be accessible to all, that is, both to people with little economic availability and to those who want to contribute to the environmental and social cause

During its campaign, the supermarket reminds us that there are 2 million malnourished people in the UK, while the country produces approximately 10 million tons of food waste each year. This is still edible food, but it's wasted and could actually be put to good use.