Posted on15. June 2022, 22:37
After expiration, the fresh meat goes to a biogas plant. However, large amounts of the products would still be edible, as research by K-Tipp shows.
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According to research by “K-Tipp”, about 5,000 tons of meat still suitable for consumption is delivered to the biogas plant every year.
Tamedia / Urs Jaudas
There would be enough alternatives to biogas plants. Wholesalers could “freeze the meat, offer it at a reduced price, or donate it to a charity.”
Tamedia AG / Michael Trost
In particular, major distributors such as Coop and Migros are lagging behind in this regard.
Urs Jaudas
Every day, major Swiss distributors get rid of fresh meat, which cannot be sold the next day. The products still welded in plastic go to the biogas plant, as reported by “K-Tipp” (paid item). According to research by a consumer magazine, about 5,000 tons of meat are thrown away each year. The amount utilized corresponds to the annual meat consumption of about 100,000 Swiss.
There would be enough alternatives
In the Oensingen composting and biogas plant alone, two to three tonnes of meat are handed over each week. There, the food is chopped and fermented to biogas. K-Tipp criticizes the large amount of edible meat that migrates to plants. The magazine explains that wholesalers could instead “take the meat out of the refrigerator on the last day’s use-by, label it, freeze it, offer it at a reduced price, or donate it to charity.” This is expressly permitted by the federal government. So there are definitely other options than converting tons of still edible meat products into biogas.
Confederation wants to reduce waste
The federal government is looking to adopt measures such as food freezing to drastically reduce food waste. “K-Tipp” reports that by 2030, biogas plants should receive 50 percent less food. Coop and Migros also signed an action plan. However, implementation is missing. When asked by the magazine, Coop explained that “it was not possible to implement the specifications to fully guarantee the cold chain,” and Migros also points out to the planning challenges. For example, during the barbecue season, shopping was heavily dependent on the weather.
Major distributors are contributing too little
The president of Foodwaste.ch, Claudio Beretta, strongly criticizes the attitude of wholesalers: “Every ton of meat that ends up in the biogas plant is a huge waste of food, because the meat can be eaten without any problems.” K-Tipp cites Globus as a positive example. After the expiry date, the company delivers the meat directly to a free food stall for the poor and homeless at Europaallee in Zurich. Other clubs also fought over expired groceries from wholesalers.