Zero-waste stores are beginning to pop up in the U.S. as grocery companies are increasingly put under pressure to reduce food waste, reports CNBC. Some estimates note that food waste costs $18.2 billion a year and the retail food sector generates more than 8 million tons of food waste a year, representing 23 percent of landfill waste.
European operators have been successful in deploying the zero-waste market, but efforts in the U.S. face an uncertain future. The nation's first zero-waste grocery store, In.gredients, opened in 2012 in Austin, Texas. "We realized after 18 months we weren't changing shoppers habits," says the store's former general manager. Customers shopped elsewhere because they either forgot their containers or must-have items were not available. The store dropped the package-free mission but maintained a commitment to zero-waste by focusing on food, however, it closed in April as a result of low sales. Other zero waste stores have opened up across the country, such as The Filling Station in New York, Zero Market in Denver, and the planned The Fillery in Brooklyn, N.Y., according to the report. Full Story
Related: Wegmans Expands Zero Waste Program; Small Food Markets Lead in Innovation.
from Specialty Food News https://ift.tt/2PS5rj9
No comments: