This is where you can get fresh produce for cheap in Preston

This is where you can get fresh produce for cheap in Preston

Sainsbury's

A spokesperson for Sainsbury's said their produce never goes to waste.

"We have processes in place to prevent food waste and have been zero waste to landfill since 2013.

"In the first instance, we will always aim to donate to one of our hundreds of local food donation partners. Where this is not possible – for example, if the products are not safe for human consumption, they will be sent to be used as animal feed where this is appropriate, or to be converted into green energy."

In the last year, Sainsbury’s donated over five million meals to those in need through its partner, Neighbourly. In 2021 the store increased its food distribution to people by 119 per cent year on year, a key driver of which was its partnership with Neighbourly.

Sainsbury’s continues to collaborate with industry on reducing food waste and has been a member of the UK Food Waste Reduction Roadmap since 2018.

Morrisons

Since 2019 all of their stores have worked with Too Good to Go - where unsold food is put into their Magic Bags so customers can buy food at a fraction of its original price.

To date over 500,000 bags have been sold.

A spokesperson said: "In addition, all of our stores are also briefed to give any surplus food away to local causes such as food banks. In 2021 we gave away three million products this way.

"On our instore counters we used to mark food down gradually - starting at 25 per cent at 10am. We are now moving to one more significant mark down on our counters once a day at 5pm."

Asda

Supermarket chain Asda has removed its ‘best before’ dates from almost 250 fresh fruit and vegetable products as it joins a movement among supermarkets to help customers cut waste and save money.

The supermarket will leave the dates off produce including citrus fruits, potatoes, cauliflowers and carrots across all its UK stores from September 1. The dates will be replaced by a new code which will be used by store staff to ensure quality and freshness, the retailer said.

It follows the Waste & Resources Action Programme (Wrap) saying that ‘best before’ dates on fruit and vegetables are unnecessary and contribute to climate change.

Asda head of technical Andy Cockshaw said: “Reducing food waste in our business and in customers’ homes is a priority and we are always looking at different ways to achieve this.

“We know for customers this has become more important than ever in the current climate as many families are struggling with the cost-of-living crisis and are looking to make savings wherever they can.”

Aldi

The latest research from Which? confirmed that Aldi was the cheapest supermarket in the UK in July 2022 – with a basket of 47 products costing £74.23.

Aldi is introducing new price cuts on select products in a bid to reduce food waste.

All of Aldi’s stores are marking down goods, such as rice, pasta, cereal and tinned food, by 30 per cent if the packaging is imperfect.

The reduction stickers will offer savvy customers even lower prices while also cutting waste, as Aldi works towards its target of halving its food waste by 2030.

This move follows on from the launch of 75 per cent reductions on perishable products on their last day of life.

The time that items are reduced will vary by store, and all products will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis.

Julie Ashfield, Managing Director of Buying at Aldi, said: “Shoppers hunting for the best deals already head to Aldi for the lower prices, but our latest reductions will help customers find even more bargains.

“Not only that, but these discounts also help us to reduce food waste – an urgent issue which we are committed to tackling.”

On fresh produce products are discounted by either 30 per cent or 75 per cent as they near the end of their shelf life, and discounts of 30 per cent off imperfectly packaged products.

The supermarket is pairing its stores up with local charities, foodbanks and community groups via community giving platform Neighbourly to donate surplus food, with at least half of the donations going to causes that support children.

Since the partnership with Neighbourly began in 2019, Aldi’s UK stores have already donated more than 25 million meals to over 3,600 local causes.

Lidl

The supermarket giant has Too Good to Waste boxes, which are just £1.50 and contain approximately 5kg of fruit and veg from store shelves, that have become slightly damaged, discoloured or deteriorated but are still perfectly good to eat.

A spokesperson said: “As part of our part of our ‘Waste Not’ initiative which covers various measures to reduce food waste, there two stages to our reductions in stores.

The first is as the item approaches its best before/use by date, when it gets reduced by 30 per cent and is marked by an orange sticker.

Then, when it reaches its best before/use by date it’s reduced even further. These can be identified with a green sticker and depending on the original price, chilled products are reduced to either 70p or 20p, and fresh meat and poultry to either £2 or 90p.

"It is still inevitable, however, that there will be instances where food items are not sold and therefore have to be redistributed. This is where our national food surplus programme, 'Feed it Back', comes in. In partnership with Neighbourly we connect all of our store to local good causes, such as food banks and charities, and donate edible food surplus. Since 2017, we have donated over 6 million meals to the local communities we serve.”

Banana King

One of Preston’s longest running shops continues helping those in need and helped support the homeless and elderly during the coronavirus pandemic.

Banana King on Orchard Street continues donating fresh fruit and vegetables to food banks.

A shop worker said: "During lockdown we gave oranges to the homeless and we provide Preston City Council with stuff to help refugees.

"If people are struggling and in need of help we have always been that sort of firm to help out."

Founded by Norman’s great grandfather Matthew Wade in 1889, the shop recently moved to Orchard Street after being situated in Preston Market since the 1960s.