A new supermarket in Denmark has come up with a novel way to fight food waste, reports Quartz.com.In the United States, people toss out 50% more uneaten and expired food than they did in 1990. That’s a lot of wasted food. And it’s a problem worldwide, though the US is one of the worst offenders. Countries around the world throw out 1.3 billion metric tons of food each year. But WeFood in Copenhagen sells only food that’s past its official expiration date or has damaged packaging.
The store opened on Monday, and it’s Denmark’s first-ever surplus food supermarket. In fact, Denmark’s been doing a great job of cutting down food waste. The country now throws away 25% less food than it did five years ago.
Other countries in Europe are taking up the challenge, as well. France, for example, has banned supermarkets from throwing away unsold food. They’re required to give the food to charity instead.
