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Anti-wasteThe purpose of this supermarket? Throw away zero grams of food
A new shop at Lucerne station has an ambitious goal: No food must end up in the bin.
The Markthalle supermarket, located in the basement of Lucerne station, opened its doors on 1eh December.
20min/Vanessa Federli
To avoid food waste, the supermarket also operates a kitchen. Food that is not sold is processed for take-out menus.
20min/Vanessa Federli
For example, vegetables are canned and used in sandwiches, but are also offered as home-made products.
20min/Vanessa Federli
About a third of all food in Switzerland is wasted. According to a study by ETHZ, this represents around 2.8 million tons of food per year, or 330 kg per person. No less than 38% of food is thrown away at home and 8% in retail and wholesale. A new supermarket, located in the basement of Lucerne station, is a pioneer in this area. Its goal: 0% waste.
To avoid waste, the managers operate a kitchen installed on the same surface as the store. Food (only in season) that is not sold is integrated into the take-out offer, explains the director, Tim Holleman, 30 years. The store does not include any product in its assortment that cannot be transformed.
“There will be empty shelves”
“For each product, our purchasing team works with the kitchen to think about how it could be used if it was about to expire,” explains the manager. Managers also do not buy large quantities. “There will sometimes be empty shelves at home,” he explains. Unsold vegetables are, for example, canned or used in sandwiches; The sourdough bread is served the next day in slices free of charge with a soup. A sales analysis is carried out and evaluated every day.
Each price tag shows the distance from Lucerne station to the manufacturer. “More than 90% come from central Switzerland,” explains the manager. Some products come from other cantons, but none are imported.
(Vanessa Federli/ofu)