Marks and Spencer stores in two Wiltshire towns are set to join a new scheme to help reuse surplus food.
The 'garlic bread scheme' aims to make M&S stores more sustainable by filling surplus bread baked each day with garlic butter and then freezing it to turn it into frozen garlic bread.
This will extend the shelf life of the bread by up to 40 days, and will massively reduce food waste.
The new initiative will be rolled out at M&S stores in Chippenham and Devizes, as well as 58 other stores across the country.
Chippenham and Devizes customers will be able to choose from a Garlic Baguette or Boule, San Francisco Sourdough Garlic Bread or West Country Cheddar and Red Leicester Garlic Cob - priced from just £1.10.
This scheme has already proved popular in stores it has been trialled in, with 1.4 million re-purposed loaves having already been sold across M&S stores last year.
“Our in-store bakery team creates the highest quality bread, baked daily. We believe each loaf is too good to waste and our customers agree," said Leigh Pepperell, store manager at M&S Chippenham.
"By getting creative we’ve found a way to extend shelf life and create new delicious products for our customers.
"The scheme has been well received at other stores and we are delighted to now be able to offer these brilliant products to our customers in Chippenham and Devizes and continue to play our part in reducing food waste.”
The scheme is part of M&S’ 'Plan A' commitment to halve food waste by 2029/30.
M&S customers will be able to buy their favourite bread in a frozen garlic-buttery form. (Image: M&S)
“It’s great to see a simple and effective idea grow in this way and become a big hit with shoppers," added Catherine David, director of collaboration and change at WRAP.
"Our latest household food waste research shows that bread is the second most wasted food in UK homes with the equivalent of more than one million loaves binned daily.
"It can easily become surplus at the end of trading so giving a second life to a surplus loaf is an excellent way to reduce waste, make our food go further and feed families.”
As part of its efforts to tackle food waste in-store, M&S has also launched 25p banana bags and partnered up with Neighbourly to redistribute food surplus.
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