Sainsbury’s trials smart fridges for shoppers in bid to reduce waste

The grocer has partnered with Bosch to provide around 20 families with camera-equipped fridges as part of its ongoing year-long ‘waste less, save more’ initiative in Swadlincote, South Derbyshire.

Shoppers can link the fridges with their smartphone to see the items they already have at home while they are out.

Head of sustainability Paul Crewe said: “Our customers tell us that despite best intentions, they often find it difficult to remember what is in their fridge which can lead to them over-buying.

“With 4.2 million tonnes of food wasted each year in the UK we’re on a mission to help households plan their shopping better and reduce the amount of food they throw away.

“With 4.2 million tonnes of food wasted each year in the UK we’re on a mission to help households plan their shopping better and reduce the amount of food they throw away”

Paul Crewe

“With our focus on finding innovative solutions we have teamed up with Bosch to trial their unique camera fridge which will give shoppers an instant view of the contents of their fridge whilst shopping – triggering a reminder to prevent buying more than they need.”

The grocer teamed up with food-sharing app Olio in February to allow shoppers in Swadlincote to share photos of food they have purchased but don’t plan to eat in order to reduce the amount they throw away.

The supermarket giant’s research found that UK shoppers waste £1.5bn worth of food products annually, with fruit and veg cited as the most over-bought items.

Sainsbury’s smart fridge trial follows Mastercard and Samsung’s January unveiling of a smart fridge that shoppers can use to view items and purchase food directly through the connected device.