{"id":20287,"date":"2023-07-07T11:04:02","date_gmt":"2023-07-07T09:04:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rewe-group.com\/de\/?post_type=opinion&p=31390"},"modified":"2023-07-26T10:16:39","modified_gmt":"2023-07-26T08:16:39","slug":"retailers-serve-as-the-link-between-suppliers-and-consumers","status":"publish","type":"opinion","link":"https:\/\/www.rewe-group.com\/en\/press-and-media\/newsroom\/opinions\/retailers-serve-as-the-link-between-suppliers-and-consumers\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cRetailers serve as the link between suppliers and consumers\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Dear Reader, <\/h2>\n <\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Since joining the REWE Group in 2015, I have been thinking about what we, as a company, can do to reduce food waste, both internally and among our consumers \u2013 an issue that is very important to me personally. We have already done a lot. But there are still issues that we need to tackle together. That is why I see the agreement resulting from the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture\u2019s Dialogue Forum for Wholesalers and Retailers as an important milestone. We signed this agreement with the goal of halving food waste in our stores by 2030 \u2013 in concrete and measurable ways. This is a very ambitious goal. But we must take this step if we \u2013 as retailers, consumers, and other members of the supply chain \u2013 want to better conserve resources. The agreement to combat food waste shows we are not just making empty promises \u2013 we are taking important and appropriate steps to reduce food waste, and we are all working together to do our part.<\/p>\n

At the REWE Group, I am responsible for the Sustainability Strategy and Projects department. The reduction of food waste and the REWE Group\u2019s support of the Tafel Deutschland charitable food bank organisation fall within my remit as part of our \u201cSocial Commitment\u201d sustainability pillar. As a retailer, it is in our own best interest that as little food as possible remains in our stores \u2013 for financial as well as social, climate, and environmental reasons. That\u2019s why most of the products that are no longer saleable but still fit to eat are given to our partner Tafel Deutschland free of charge.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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As a retailer, it is in our own best interest that as little food as possible remains in our stores \u2013 for financial as well as social, climate, and environmental reasons.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n <\/div>\n

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Mirka Stark, Head of Sustainability Strategy and Projects<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n

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\n \"mirka-stark\"\n\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n

Mirka Stark, Head of Sustainability Strategy and Projects<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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As a retailer, while we seek to make adjustments in our stores and warehouses where we can, we also believe it is our responsibility to raise consumer awareness and provide information on key issues of sustainability. For example, we try to increase people\u2019s appreciation of food in several ways. In our stores, we often offer discounts of up to 30 percent on products that are close to their \u2018best before\u2019 date. In addition to providing tips on how to store food properly and what to do with leftovers, we have also implemented lighthouse projects in recent years. Since 2016, for example, PENNY has been selling blemished organic fruit and vegetables under the \u201cNatur Bio-Helden\u201d label. The message is that imperfect produce can be eaten because blemishes and odd shapes do not affect flavour or quality. Our producers benefit from this concept as well, since they are able to sell products that consumers ordinarily do not want to buy. And by including the label Don\u2019t throw it away \u2013 Smell. Try. Enjoy.<\/q> on many of our own products, we remind our customers that foods like milk or quark can be enjoyed beyond their \u2018best before\u2019 date. In recognition of our commitment, we received the \u201cToo good for the bin\u201d award presented by the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture \u2013 a feat of which I am very proud of.<\/p>\n

Whether it\u2019s in our logistics operations or at our warehouses and stores, we are always striving to optimise processes and plan resources in a way that conserves them. Thanks to the latest planning systems, we are able to plan our stocks with foresight. It is clear, however, that not everything can be planned. This is why the second pillar of our commitment is so important \u2013 our long-time partnership with Tafel Deutschland. REWE has been working closely with Tafel since 1996 and PENNY since 2007. The vast majority of the food products that are still fit to eat, but that we cannot sell despite our best efforts are given by our stores to the 960 local Tafel food banks across Germany free of charge. We also work with other organisations, such as Foodsharing. However, these partnerships are in addition to our work with local food banks. In line with our focus on working with Tafel first, the local food banks, and thus those who are in need, are always given priority.<\/p>\n

And, unfortunately, this assistance is urgently needed. In recent months, local food banks have seen an increase in demand. This is a challenge for all of society, however, which has become more acute because of factors such as the war in Ukraine. From my point of view, therefore, politicians need to provide more infrastructural and financial support. For example, if a local food bank does not have a refrigerated delivery van, then it cannot collect refrigerated products from our stores. In addition, politicians should do everything they can to make food donations easier as well as clarify questions of liability once and for all.<\/p>\n

We are aware of the extremely important role that we play, as the link between suppliers and consumers. It’s for this reason that we take our responsibility to continuously optimise our processes, educate our employees and consumers, and actively support local food banks very seriously \u2013 in order to ensure a more conscious approach to food in everyday life. By signing the agreement to reduce food waste, we have taken our commitment to a new level \u2013 after all, we can only win the battle to reduce food waste by working together.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Yours Mirka Stark<\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\n \"mirka-stark\"\n\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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About:<\/h2>

\n Mirka Stark <\/p>\n\n

Head of Sustainability Strategy and Projects<\/p>\n \n

\n joined the PENNY Strategy department in 2015, and has led the REWE Group\u2019s Sustainability Strategy and Projects department since 2018. <\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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    Join the discussion on<\/h2>\n

    Our LinkedIn feed has all the latest information from the REWE Group and the sector, with the most important developments from the worlds of retail, e-commerce, food, CSR and policy.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    In the latest Opinion of the Month, Mirka Stark, Head of Sustainability Strategy and Projects at the REWE Group, explains the measures the company is taking in its efforts to prevent food waste as well as the political changes that are still necessary. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":20248,"menu_order":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","nl_adhoc_sent":1,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"focus_theme":[142],"class_list":["post-20287","opinion","type-opinion","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-policy","focus_theme-undefined"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rewe-group.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/opinion\/20287","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rewe-group.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/opinion"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rewe-group.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/opinion"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.rewe-group.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/opinion\/20287\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20295,"href":"https:\/\/www.rewe-group.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/opinion\/20287\/revisions\/20295"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rewe-group.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20248"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rewe-group.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20287"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rewe-group.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20287"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rewe-group.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20287"},{"taxonomy":"focus_theme","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rewe-group.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/focus_theme?post=20287"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}