On 16 October 2014, Noël Prioux, Executive Director of Carrefour France, was presented with the 2014 “Anti-Gaspi” prize by Stéphane Le Foll, France’s Minister for Food, Agriculture and Forestry Affairs. This prize, awarded on the second national anti-food waste day, is recognition of Carrefour’s efforts.
PARIS, 2014-10-16— /EPR Retail News/ — Carrefour won the 2014 Anti-Gaspi Prize in the “Distribution” category. The award was presented to the retailer in recognition of all of its efforts in tackling food waste. The prize, given as part of the Pacte National de Lutte contre le Gaspillage Alimentaire (national pact to combat food waste), which was introduced in 2013 and of which Carrefour is a signatory, was presented by a jury made up of a number of economic stakeholders, including the ANIA (France’s national association of food industries) and the ADEME (France’s environment and energy management agency).
This prize is recognition of the initiatives that form part of the retailer’s anti-food waste plan:
Anti-waste experts
A team of 16 anti-waste experts combs through Carrefour’s hypermarkets and supermarkets, looking for areas in which improvements might be made and providing employees with the support they need in order to introduce them. And thanks to these initiatives and good practices, these experts helped reduce food waste by more than 10% in Carrefour’s stores over a 12-month period.
Food aid donations to associations
All of Carrefour’s consolidated stores have entered into a formal relationship with one or several local associations so that collections can be made every morning. In 2013, the retailer donated the equivalent of 68 million meals to food aid organisations and welfare groceries, including the Restos du Cœur, the Secours Populaire, the Red Cross and the Food Banks – to which Carrefour is the biggest private donor.
And the Carrefour Foundation provides these associations with support, particularly in terms of logistics, giving them the equipment they need for transporting and storing foodstuffs – 160 refrigerated vehicles were financed, together with 30 cold rooms in 2013.
Customer awareness-raising
Carrefour has set up a special website all about combating food waste in order to raise its customers’ awareness as well. The site offers a number of anti-waste tips, including recipes “for reusing leftovers so nothing gets thrown away”, and a great deal of advice for getting into the right habits at home and while out shopping at Carrefour.
www.anti-gaspillage.carrefour.fr