Tesco and WWF have launched an accelerator programme to help its suppliers fast-track innovation on sustainability.
The programme has paired a raft of start ups with long-term Tesco suppliers to trial green initiatives. The most successful will receive £150,000 in funding support.
Tesco announced the names of eight companies that will go head to head to find the best ideas, ranging from a startup using insects to convert food waste into chicken feed, to a new monitoring system that uses birdsong to increase biodiversity in grassland farming.
It said the focus was on finding affordable green solutions so it could tackle environmental issues while helping to keep the price of food down.
The supermarket also called on the government to do more to unlock innovation in UK food supply chains and support innovations to market readiness, not just at the seed funding stage.
“More than a quarter of all greenhouse gas emissions are driven by the way we produce and consume food, but it doesn’t have to be that way,” said Tesco CEO Ken Murphy. “To deliver affordable, healthy and sustainable food for all, the entire food sector must innovate fast. That’s why, as well as driving improvements in our own operations, Tesco is collaborating with innovative suppliers and startups.
“But we also need government support, to help the food industry to scale proven innovations. The upcoming food strategy white paper is a great opportunity to transform our food system and enhance food security. We hope the paper will set out a process to update outdated regulations that hinder the scaling up of much-needed innovations.”
WWF CEO Tanya Steele said: “We hope the launch of this new accelerator programme with Tesco will bring innovative solutions a step closer and help us achieve our goal of halving the environmental impacts of the average UK shopping basket.”
Full list of companies in running:
AgriSound & AM Fresh (Tesco fruit supplier) – technology that uses bioacoustics to monitor pollinators and pest levels on farm to help farmers protect biodiversity and increase produce yields
Aurea & Adrian Scripps (Tesco apple supplier) – full lifecycle crop intelligence for fruit trees that allows farmers to manage health and fruit-load for every tree individually, improving yields while minimising the use of inputs like fertiliser
Chirrup.ai & Hilton (Tesco meat and fish supplier) – a monitoring system that uses birdsong as a science-based biodiversity indicator in grassland farming
CCM, Andermatt, FCT & Branston (Tesco potato supplier) – a demonstration of low-carbon fertilisers to reduce the carbon footprint of potato production
FCT & ProduceWorld (Tesco produce supplier) – advanced carbon footprint software for horticultural growers to analyse and reduce their emissions and increase carbon sequestration on farm, while also identifying cost savings and efficiencies
Future by Insects & Hilton (Tesco meat and fish supplier) – creation of circular fish feed using food waste to grow microalgae to feed fish
Harbro & Müller (Tesco milk processing supplier) – technology to precisely measure nutrient efficiency on dairy farms.
InsPro & Prepworld (Tesco prepared fruit supplier) – portable bioconversion units that use insects to convert food waste into chicken feed and reduce the use of soy feed in the egg supply chain
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