Nearly 100 more convenience stores across the south of England will be selling selected products past their ‘best before’ date as it relates to quality, not the safety of the product.

With the aim of keeping more food in the human food chain, Southern Co-op has expanded its Reducing Our Foodprint initiative with products being reduced to just 20p.

Now available in more than 100 Co-operative Food stores across the south of England, the waste reduction scheme aims to keep as much produce as possible in the food chain and reduce the amount sent off for anaerobic digestion.

All store waste is currently diverted from landfill with food broken down to produce biogas and bio-fertiliser.

Simon Eastwood, Chief Operating Officer for Retail at Southern Co-op, said: “Customer feedback from the trials of this scheme has been largely positive with many of the products being snapped up as soon as they get reduced.

“There are a large number of products that are still good enough to eat past their ‘best before’ date – many of us are already familiar with this in our home environment so this just takes it one step further.

“The first stage in the fight against food waste is to make sure there aren’t products reaching their best before date. But if they do, we will now be reducing them to 20p to try and keep them in the food chain and improve sustainability.”

The initial trial of the Reducing our Foodprint initiative took place at 13 stores run by the independent, regional co-operative and proved a success with the majority of products being sold within a day of being reduced.

Between April and September 2021, there were 16,862 items processed at the 20p price point across 11 of the 13 stores.

The Co-operative Food stores which are included in the Reducing our Foodprint initiative are based across Berkshire, Devon, Dorset, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire, Kent, Somerset, Surrey and Wiltshire.

Fresh products will be sold up to two days after their ‘best before’ date and ambient products will be sold up to seven days after their ‘best before’ date.

Examples of products included in the reduction initiative include tinned fruit and veg, dried pasta and rice, confectionery, selected condiments, sugar and sweeteners, coffee, tea and jams as well as chilled products such as soft fruit and fruit juices.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) advises that products past their ‘best before’ date are safe to consume but may not be at the optimum quality intended by the producer.

The stores in Berkshire which are now included in the Reducing our Foodprint initiative are The Co-operative Food stores in Binfield’s Forest Road and Oakmede Place; Lambourn’s High Street; Newbury’s Brummell Road and Pound Street; Windsor’s Arthur Road; and Wokingham’s Market Place.

The stores in Devon which are now included in the Reducing our Foodprint initiative are The Co-operative Food stores in Bow’s Burston Cross Road; Cranbrook’s Younghayes Road; Exeter’s Alphington Road and Buddle Lane; and Exmouth’s Brixington Parade and Exeter Road.

The stores in Dorset which are now included in the Reducing our Foodprint initiative are The Co-operative Food stores in Blandford’s Salisbury Road; Shaftesbury’s Beaufoy Closel and Sturminster’s Station Road.

The stores in East Sussex which are now included in the Reducing our Foodprint initiative are The Co-operative Food stores in Brighton’s Bramber House; Eastbourne’s Beatty Road, Lindfield Road and Seaside; Hove’s Old Shoreham Road, Portland Road and Western Road; Portslade’s Abinger Road; St Leonards’ 100 Battle Road and 290 Battle Road; and Wadhurst’s Sparrows Green Road.

The stores in Hampshire which are now included in the Reducing our Foodprint initiative are The Co-operative Food stores in Aldershot’s Lower Farnham Road; Alresford’s West Street; Alton’s High Street; Andover’s East Anton Farm Road; Basingstoke’s Kings Road and Wallingford Road; Beggarwood’s Broadmere Road; Church Crookham’s Aldershot Road; Clanfield’s White Dirt Lane; Emsworth’s High Street; Four Marks’ Winchester Road; Liphook’s Headley Road; Moggs Mead’s The Crundles; Odiham’s High Street; Overton’s Winchester Street; Portsmouth’s Copnor Road, Eastney Road, Elm Grove, Fawcett Road, Great Southsea Street, Highland Road, New Road, Northern Parade, Tangier Road, The Hard, Twyford Avenue and Winter Road; Rooksdown’s Limes Park; Southbourne’s Main Road; Stockbridge’s High Street; Tadley’s Franklin Avenue; Westbourne’s The Square; and Winchester’s City Road.

The stores in Kent which are now included in the Reducing our Foodprint initiative are The Co-operative Food stores in Ashford’s Loudon Way; Lenham’s Faversham Road; Minster’s Monkton Road; Seasalter’s Faversham Road; and Whitstable’s Cromwell Road.

The stores in Somerset which are now included in the Reducing our Foodprint initiative are The Co-operative Food stores in Banwell’s Knightcott Road; Bath’s Widcombe Hill; Bridgwater’s Stockmoor Drive; Burnham on Sea’s Berrow Road; Cotford St Luke’s Graham Way; Frome’s Nunney Road; Nailsea’s Hannah More Road; Norton Fitzwarren’s Morse Road; Taunton’s Wellington New Road; and Yeovil’s Mudford Road.

The stores in Surrey which are now included in the Reducing our Foodprint initiative are The Co-operative Food stores in Camberley’s Frimley Road; Chobham’s Bagshot Road; Farnham’s Farnborough Road; Oxted’s Station Road; Reigate’s London Road; Rowledge’s The Square; and Wrecclesham’s Wrecclesham Road.

The stores in West Sussex which are now included in the Reducing our Foodprint initiative are The Co-operative Food stores in Angmering’s The Square; Bognor Regis’s Hawthorn Road and Rose Green Road; Bosham’s Delling Lane; Burgess Hill’s Junction Road and London Road; Chichester’s Bognor Road, Lavant Road, Oliver Whitby Road, Spitalfield Lane and Stockbridge Road; East Wittering’s Cakeham Road; Ferring’s Ferring Street; Haywards Heath’s Franklynn Road; Horsham’s Guildford Road; Selsey’s High Street; and Yapton’s Main Road.

The stores in Wiltshire which are now included in the Reducing our Foodprint initiative are The Co-operative Food stores in Bradford On Avon’s Winsley Road; Mere’s The Square; Old Sarum’s Crosier Close; and Shrewton’s High Street.