Discarded fruit and veg from K Group’s central warehouse made into juice

When fruit and vegetable are handled at the warehouse, they may suffer some bruises that mean they won’t make it to the store. Some fruit and veg do not meet the standards for appearance. Although these products cannot be sold in the stores, they make for excellent juice. 

Now K Group want to tackles food waste at its central warehouse in Vantaa, and the juice company Thrsty will begin making juice out of the warehouse’s edible discarded fruit and vegetables. 

“Food waste is a significant burden for the climate, and therefore we should all strive to eliminate it. K Group is constantly reviewing ways in which we an utilise edible food waste, now turning some of it into tasty juice,” says Timo Jäske, Vice President of Sustainability for K Group’s grocery trade division. 

Tasty juice for wasted fruit 

“It is a bit backwards: we are making juice out of ingredients we wish we didn’t have. Our primary goal is always to avoid food waste. However, when for one reason or another we end up with food waste, we want a smart solution for using it,” says Jäske. 

The waste fruit and vegetable are meticulously screened to ensure they are suited for making juice. The juice is made of which ever edible fruit and vegetables end up as waste, and therefore juice ingredients differ between batches. The label on each bottle reveals the ingredients. 

“We are thrilled to begin the responsible collaboration with K Group and help reduce unnecessary food waste. We ensure that customers who buy the product get delicious 100% freshly squeezed juice, and also for their part help to reduce food waste,” says Teemu Laine from Thrsty. 

The Hyvis juice will be available in K Group grocery stores form November 2020 onwards, in returnable plastic bottles. 

Buying products made from waste food is a form of modern climate action 

“Conscientious consumption is a growing trend, and more and more of our customers want to make more sustainable choices at the grocery store.  By buying products that use waste food as ingredients, our customers have a tangible way to help reduce food waste. Buying products made from waste food is a form of modern climate action,” says Timo Jäske. 

K Group’s grocery stores already offer many Finnish products made from waste food, including the ice cream made by Suomen jäätelö out of excess bananas in K-food stores, launched earlier this spring, and the popular Jävla Sås tomate sauce. 

K Group’s primary means of reducing food waste is selection management. Other means include efficient transport and store logistics, self-control system and staff training. The optimisation and continuous development of packaging features also plays a key role in reducing waste.