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Finland's answer to food waste: 'Best-before' is actually good later — with a discount - PRI
Food waste is a huge problem around the globe.
The United Nations estimates that about one-third of all food produced is lost or wasted. That's over a billion tons every year.
Cutting food waste is not just economically wise, it's also good for the planet. As reported in the New York Times, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change found that "from 8 to 10% of greenhouse gas emissions are related to food lost during harvest and production or wasted by consumers," and that landfills with food waste emit methane, "a gas that is roughly 25 times more harmful than carbon dioxide."
One supermarket chain in Finland has an idea to address food waste. S-market has started holding "happy hours" at their stores. But instead of getting a cheap beer, shoppers get a discount on, say, a pound of shrimp or a pork tenderloin nearing its expiration date. S-market division manager Sari Ristaniemi joined The World from Helsinki, Finland, to talk about the concept.
Food waste is a huge problem around the globe.
The United Nations estimates that about one-third of all food produced is lost or wasted. That's over a billion tons every year.
Cutting food waste is not just economically wise, it's also good for the planet. As reported in the New York Times, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change found that "from 8 to 10% of greenhouse gas emissions are related to food lost during harvest and production or wasted by consumers," and that landfills with food waste emit methane, "a gas that is roughly 25 times more harmful than carbon dioxide."
One supermarket chain in Finland has an idea to address food waste. S-market has started holding "happy hours" at their stores. But instead of getting a cheap beer, shoppers get a discount on, say, a pound of shrimp or a pork tenderloin nearing its expiration date. S-market division manager Sari Ristaniemi joined The World from Helsinki, Finland, to talk about the concept.