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Sustainable Commerce

Food waste

SME retailers with a Super Supermarket Certificate organise campaigns against food waste

Together against food waste, matter of doing! Preventing food waste is an important topic under the Super Supermarket Certificate (SSK). SSK is the Dutch certification for independent SME food retailers who are both locally and socially involved. An awareness campaign encourages customers not to take the products with the longest shelf life. Products to be consumed within two days are labelled with a specific sticker to make customers more aware of their role in tackling food waste. It is more difficult for some product categories. In collaboration with Wageningen University, a pilot program is conducted to use residual flows of bread as an ingredient to produce a high-quality, local and sustainable beer. A complete practical manual with a step-by-step plan for brewing beer is available for SSK certified retailers.

SME retailers with SSK organise campaigns against food waste (3)

Awareness campaign
In SSK certified supermarkets the products approaching the best before date are provided with stickers with the words (in Dutch language) “Together against food waste, matter of doing!”. This awareness campaign encourages customers to not take the products with the longest shelf life. Products with this sticker can be consumed within one or two days. The aim is to make customers more aware of their role in food waste.

From bread to beer
The consumer loves fresh bread. Bread that has not immediately sold is already old and discarded the next day. In collaboration with Wageningen University, a pilot is conducted to use residual flows of bread as an ingredient for the production of beer to prevent this waste. This way residual flows of bread from the supermarket are processed in a high-quality way into a local and sustainable beer. A complete practical manual with a step-by-step plan for brewing beer is available for SSK certified retailers.

About the Super Supermarket Certificate
The Super Supermarket Certificate (SSK) is the Dutch certification for independent SME food retailers who are both locally and socially involved. Retailers with the SSK certification take sustainability into account, in the broadest sense of the word, with their entrepreneurship. For example sponsoring local (sport)clubs, the commitment to fight against food waste, applying energy efficiency measures and providing regional products in cooperation with regional producers. The independent SME retailers are franchisee of one of the supermarket formula/format Albert Heijn, Coop, Jumbo, PLUS or Spar. In addition to the activities and expressions of the supermarket formula/format, the SSK certified independent retailer has added value. Independent retailers bring colour to the community. As well as running their own business, they do an exceptional amount outside the shop for the benefit of other people, the neighbourhood and the community. The SSK Certificate is an initiative of Vakcentrum.