Reducing food waste is one of the key objectives of the K Group’s sustainability strategy and climate work. The Group’s target was to reduce food waste by 25% from the 2019 baseline by the end of 2025, but it already reached a 26% reduction by September 2025.
“Reducing food waste is the sum of many factors and requires consistent work throughout the K Group. K-food stores play a key role in terms of everyday solutions – carefully anticipating which products to order for the shelves, in what quantities, and at what times. The price of products at risk of becoming waste is reduced and in many shops they are moved to a special shelf for waste products. In addition, the majority of K-food stores donate food that is still edible to food aid,” says Timo Jäske, Sustainability Director in Kesko’s grocery trade.
Over the past year, the largest amounts of food waste, in terms of kilos, in K-food stores have come from the bread department and the fruit and vegetable department. However, waste in these product groups has been significantly reduced – by as much as 14% for fruit. For these products that easily end up as waste, many K-stores have introduced special bags of waste fruit and vegetables and bread.
Close cooperation with industry
K Group has intensified its cooperation with the food industry to minimise food waste.
“We are working with industry to ensure that production volumes match demand as closely as possible. We identify which product groups and product items generate waste and work together to find ways to reduce this. This cooperation also helps us to ensure that customers have access to products in the right packaging sizes. With measures like these we aim to halve food waste by 2030,” Jäske continues.
Consumers also play an important role in reducing waste
Red-label products, which are sold at discounted prices, have been popular with customers, and greater demand for them has helped to reduce food waste in K-food stores. According to a survey* conducted by K Group in September, 71% of consumers buy products approaching their best-before or expiry date at discounted prices. Red-label products are particularly popular with small households, and over the past year these products have ended up in the shopping baskets of more people living alone than before**.
“A large share of food waste is generated in households, which is why it is important to pay more attention to reducing waste at home as well. The Consumers’ Union of Finland’s ‘Hävikkiviikko’ or Food Waste Week will take place between 22 and 28 September, and this year the campaign encourages people to try out how to turn yesterday’s leftovers into new dishes. One useful tool for this is K-Ruoka.fi, where you can enter an ingredient from your fridge and it will provide recipe suggestions for how to use it,” Jäske says.
*K-Barometer survey 2025: Which of the following do you currently do in your daily life? All respondents, N=808
**K Group sales data (9/2024–8/2025)
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