Southern Co-op saves 3.1 million meals from waste in a year thanks to smart markdown tech

Southern Co-op saved approximately 3.1 million meals from being wasted in the past year – a 16 per cent increase year-on-year – by leveraging WasteInsight from Retail Insight, a leading in-store execution software provider. This significant reduction in food waste also prevented around 3,083 tonnes of food – equivalent to the weight of 257 double-decker buses – from entering landfill, avoiding over 8,323 tonnes of CO₂e emissions.
Southern Co-op said the achievement marks a major step forward in its journey toward a ‘waste-free future’. With a deep-rooted commitment to sustainability and community welfare, the regional retailer, which operates 195 stores across the South of England, turned to technology to refine its food waste strategy and optimise markdown efficiency.
Previously relying on fixed-time markdowns, the Co-op’s approach did not fully account for variables like demand fluctuations, weather, or intra-day sales patterns. This traditional model often led to inconsistent sell-through rates (STRs) and unnecessary food waste.