Worldwide around 30% of food ends up in landfill sites. "It is no different in SA," says Dave Bester MD of Groceries Unlimited, a firm aiming to reduce needless wastage.Based in Cape Town, the company brings a new concept to SA food retailing: grocery recovery — buying and retailing groceries that would otherwise be discarded. "Last year we took a view that grocery recovery has huge potential if it is done right," says Bester, a former advertising executive specialising in food and liquor brands.For Bester and his team, the critical step is to convince food producers and retailers Groceries Unlimited can do it right. "We go to great lengths to protect their brands."Where producers do not want their brands displayed, steps can be taken, says Bester. They include blanking out a brand, selling it in its primary, unmarked packaging or repacking items.What can’t be done by law is to alter sell-by dates, which are set conservatively by producers and retailers. But it is perfectly legal to...
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