Fri Mar 14 05:01:12 UTC 2025: ## Tesco Launches Free Expiring Food Trial to Combat Waste
**London, UK** – Tesco, Britain’s largest supermarket chain, is launching a trial program to further reduce food waste and help customers struggling with the cost-of-living crisis. Starting in the coming months, select Tesco Express stores will offer remaining yellow-stickered items—already heavily discounted—for free to customers after 9:30 pm.
This initiative prioritizes food redistribution to charities and employees first, with any surplus then made available to shoppers at no cost. Previously, yellow-stickered items received a maximum 90% price reduction.
A Tesco spokesperson emphasized the company’s commitment to reducing food waste, highlighting its existing donations to charities and community groups, amounting to millions of meals monthly. The new trial represents a further step in achieving its ambitious goal of halving food waste by 2030.
The move comes amid a surge in demand for discounted groceries in the UK. Data from Barclays shows that nearly two-thirds of households purchased discounted products in 2023, reflecting the pressures of the cost-of-living crisis. This crisis has also led to a significant increase in food bank usage, with over 1.4 million new users in the past two years, according to the Trussell Trust.
Tesco’s commitment to sustainability extends beyond this initiative. The company exceeded its 2025 target for emissions reduction, achieving a 61% decrease in absolute emissions from operations compared to 2015. This success is attributed to increased energy efficiency and the adoption of 100% renewable electricity. The free food trial is seen as another significant step in Tesco’s broader sustainability and social responsibility strategy.
First Piper 