Supermarket waste is depressing

But there are only certain products I buy which seem okay to eat after their sell-by date.

Meat, fish, and other fresh ingredients are the kind of foods I avoid on my late-night raids unless they are eaten immediately.

As I walk the aisles in my local store I can’t help but notice the number of items which have been reduced.

As I rummage through the pile of cut-priced foods, my inner bargain hunter steadily fizzles out, I am led to wonder where the unsold food would go.

The answer is clear: the bin.

As I see the shop worker pour the tray of pastries into a huge pink bag I am left frustrated and upset at the wastage.

Brits are surely the worst for throwing away unwanted food and must-buy ingredients.

I am even guilty of this and have bought a loaf of bread to discover we already have several slices remaining at home.

With a never-mind attitude I throw away the not-so-old loaf and replace it with the newbie.

Regardless of our financial position, and the state of our economy, we are rich in comparison to some others.

There are people on this planet who can’t afford food and live miles from their nearest shop.

We acknowledge the poverty, but do so little to address it.

This happens more frequently overseas but it is saddening to know people struggle in England too.

That’s why I am chuffed to see Tesco is the first major supermarket to take the lead on donating unsold food to charity.

With Portsmouth part of a grand scheme the grocery giant hopes it will not throw anything away by next year. The news brings me great joy and confidence in that we are working towards helping those who need it most.

On several occasions I have visited food banks across the city to gain an understanding of what they do. With the ongoing demands on them providing for the less fortunate I am confident they will appreciate the help they get from Tesco.

It’ll be interesting to see which chain will follow the leader. That’s if any of them do.

It would make me happy to know we live in a society which isn’t fussed about the shape of our fruit and veg and give away anything not being used to support another.