Across the SPAR network, country organisations are implementing innovative initiatives to reduce food waste. On the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste, we highlight some of these actions.

Food donations

SPAR Austria takes a comprehensive approach to reducing food waste across its operations, with only around 1% of food offered in stores remaining unsold. Unsold food is donated to social organisations, with every SPAR store partnering with at least one local charity. In addition, SPAR Austria cooperates with more than 200 charities nationwide. Unsold bread may also be converted into animal feed.

SPAR Gran Canaria has partnered with the Las Palmas Food Bank for over 25 years, helping collect and donate food to support vulnerable families. Each year, the retailer takes part in major food collection campaigns, including the Spring Food Drive and The Great Food Collection. During the 2026 Spring Food Drive, 182 SPAR stores collected more than 21.9 tonnes of food to donate, exceeding the previous year’s donation.

SPAR UK works with charities such as Felix (formerly FareShare) to ensure surplus food reaches people in need and provides additional donations during times of need. Its stores also host collection points, enabling customers to donate food to local food banks.

On World Food Day 2025, SPAR South Africa reinforced its commitment to food security and waste reduction through its partnership with FoodForward SA. Through the campaign, the retail company contributed over 61,000 meals, each with a handwritten message from one of its divisions, to non-profit organisations that provide meals and support to vulnerable families, children, and elderly people. SPAR South Africa is committed to halving food waste by 2030 compared with 2021 levels.

Instore initiatives to reduce food waste

SPAR Austria improves ordering accuracy through AI-supported demand forecasting, helping to reduce surplus in the fruit and vegetable category before products even reach store shelves. Products approaching their best-before date are offered at reduced prices and displayed on dedicated shelves to encourage sales. SPAR Austria also offers “Second Chance Boxes” containing imperfect fruit and vegetables.

SPAR Norway rewards customers with a 100% Trumf bonus when they buy imperfect fruit and vegetables. Through Norway’s largest grocery loyalty programme, customers receive bonus points equal to the purchase price of these products, which can be redeemed on future purchases. This initiative encourages shoppers to choose perfectly edible produce that might otherwise go to waste while helping them save money. NorgesGruppen, the SPAR brand operator in Norway, was among the first to introduce instore 2D product codes, improving supply chain transparency and reducing waste.

At SPAR Denmark, Upshop’s Expiration Date Management solution is key to significant savings, with stores saving an average of $26,000 annually on labour and waste. The solution intelligently tracks product expiry dates and flags items nearing their sell-by date. This insight allows stores to proactively take the correct measures to get the items sold and not binned

Food rescue apps

From 2017 to 2025, SPAR’s partnership with Too Good To Go expanded across 12 markets and 4,379 stores, helping to save more than 8.42 million kilograms of food from going to waste. The initiative also prevented an estimated 22.74 tonnes of CO₂e emissions, demonstrating the positive environmental impact of food rescue efforts across the SPAR network.

SPAR UK helps reduce food waste through digital partnerships with Gander and Too Good To Go. Gander alerts shoppers to discounted, close-to-expiry products in stores, while Too Good To Go enables customers to purchase surplus food through discounted Surprise Bags. These initiatives help prevent good food from going to waste while offering shoppers value for money.

SPAR Hungary is collaborating with the Munch platform to help reduce food waste by enabling customers to purchase surplus food packages at 40-70% discounts. Through the app and website, shoppers can reserve and pay for food packages online and collect them from participating SPAR and INTERSPAR stores within a set time slot.

Consumer education and awareness

SPAR Slovenia supports the Kuhnapato project, which has encouraged young people and the wider public to rediscover Slovenian culinary traditions for the past 14 years. Using seasonal and local ingredients, participating students prepare healthy meals while learning how to minimise food waste and maximise the use of available ingredients. This year, more than 100 primary schools and 10 CSOD units, the Centre for School and Outdoor Education, are taking part, involving over 6,000 young people who share their knowledge and enthusiasm with younger and older generations.

SPAR Belgium Lambrechts encourages consumers to reduce household food waste through its ‘Red de restjes!’ initiative (Save the leftovers). The platform provides recipes to help shoppers turn leftover fridge ingredients into tasty meals, making it easier to prevent food waste at home.

Sources: SPAR Austria, SPAR Gran Canaria, SPAR UK, SPAR South Africa, SPAR Norway, SPAR Denmark, SPAR Hungary, SPAR Belgium Lambrechts, SPAR Slovenia