grocery store that reduces food waste and prices

Five pallets wait in front of the entrance to the UNI- GASPI store, in the city center of Nantes (Loire-Atlantique). Barely the raised iron curtain, Stéphane Roger, the director, activates to unload the goods.

In the boxes, yogurts, cheese, meat, small grocery store, bottles of alcohol … at first glance, nothing very original for a grocery store. To one detail: the majority of the products are miraculous bin, put aside by industrialists due to damaged packaging, non -compliant calibration or light aesthetic defects.

Perfectly consumable products

“Supermarkets impose specifications that are so restrictive that a bellitude of foodstuffs are found every day outside the circuit when they are perfectly consumable,” deplores Stéphane, who has twenty years of experience in the sector. In his delivery of the day, he finds, for example, bottles of poorly labeled champagne or too small yellow cocks. He immerses his hand in another cageot and extracts from the ash goat logs. “They have no defects, they were just produced in surplus,” he explains.

Florian is a follower of cheese but this morning, in the fresh department, it is this batch of steaks that attracts his attention. “€ 4.25 is unbeatable,” exclaims the young father of 33 years old, behind his stroller. And for having already tested them, it’s quality. Admittedly, they are sold on a short date but I don’t care because the manufacturers still provide for a safety margin. And there are indicators that do not deceive: smell and appearance. If there was more, there would be less waste. »»

Tons of foods thrown each year

The figures are overwhelming. According to Eurostat, the European Statistics Organization, 9.45 million tonnes of food for human consumption were thus brought up in 2022 in France.

To reduce losses, the GAROT law, voted in February 2016, imposed on all medium and large areas of more than 400 m2 to give charitable associations their unsold or rejected products, instead of putting them back. “This is obviously a good initiative,” emphasizes Vincent Justin, co -founder of the brand. Except that the majority of waste takes place upstream, at the time of manufacturing and transformation. This is what pushed us to create stores we anti-waste. ”

Come “to make the extra”

Noon. In Nantes, Garance, 30, takes advantage of his break to get back his fridge. No time to drag on the shelves. She throws in her basket a sachet of salad, yogurts and toblerone chocolates, then goes to the checkout. “I do my full races in a large area outside the center but I often come here to go,” explains this lawyer in a law firm. I don’t necessarily find everything I want. The choice is more reduced and arrival changes from one week to the next. But frequenting a brand that adopts a slightly more reasonable consumption approach pleases me. And over the month, I see a real difference in my budget. »»

Anti-inflation tip

The prices displayed here are on average 20 to 30 % cheaper than in traditional trade. Count for example € 13.49 per kilo for young pasteurized cow’s cantal, against € 15.56 at Carrefour, or € 2.30 for a 285 g brownie to share against € 3.09 at Monoprix. “A significant difference in the context of inflation,” testify Corentin, 22, and Arnaud, 23.

“As a fifth year student student, we benefit from an external salary but we are still forced to pay attention to our budget. So, if we can save some savings on food, which represents our biggest spending post with electricity, it’s always good to take. »»

Next opening of new stores

However, the prices are not found on all shelves. “The objective is that our customers can find in our stores all basic products, such as flour or toothpaste. But since it is not a question of anti-gaspillage and that we have smaller volumes, we sometimes find ourselves buying these items more expensive than the purchasing power plants of large distributors, ”admits Vincent Justin. Not enough to prevent growth. The company plans to open five new points of sale in 2025.