Wonky veggies and customer preference at JUMBO supermarket

Overview

Jumbo is a large high-service supermarket chain based in the Netherlands. The organisation has approx. 600 stores, employing more than 35,000 people and has an annual turnover of approx. €7.4 million

The need:
Cosmetic standards are frequently listed as a driver for food waste occurring along the supply chain. However, food discarded due to it’s unusual shape or size could be recovered through processed products. The entrepreneurs from the Dutch initiative “Verspilling is Verrukkelijk” manufacture products that are made of these food ingredients, which would have otherwise gone to waste. These were offered at a dedicated shelf in the local franchise JUMBO supermarket; but, how did customers react to them?

The solution:
Two strategies to increase consumer awareness towards these “Verspilling is Verrukkelijk” products were sequentially implemented in the supermarket and effects were monitored.

The benefits:
Both strategies seemed to increase customer awareness to the products and boost sales, leading to more food being saved from going to waste.