The supermarket today became the first supermarket to publish figures on food waste and announced a raft of measures to combat the problem.
Key findings in the study, which tracked 25 top-selling products on their journey from farm to fork, included:
In the first six months of the year, 28,500 tonnes of food waste was generated in Tesco stores and distribution centres. 68% of all salad grown for bagged salads ends up wasted, with a third of that waste occurring in the home; 40% of apples are wasted, with just over a quarter of that waste occurring in the home; just under half of bakery items are wasted; A quarter of grapes are wasted between the vine and the fruit bowl, with the majority of that waste happening in the home; A fifth of all bananas are wasted and one in ten bananas bought by customers end up in the bin.
The publication of the figures signals the latest shift towards food waste being seen as a major sustainability issue, following campaigns such as Wrap's Love Food Hate Waste and the Fresher for Longer campaign, which launched earlier this year to promote the role of packaging in cutting food waste.
Tesco has also revealed a range of measures it is taking to reduce the levels of food waste, including ending multi-buy deals on large bags of salad, consumer education programmes on items such as how to use leftover bread and how to make bananas last longer.
Matt Simister, Tesco commercial director of Group Food, said: "We've all got a responsibility to tackle food waste and there is no quick-fix single solution. Little changes can make a big difference, like storing fruit and veg in the right way.
"Families are wasting an estimated £700 a year and we want to help them keep that money in their pockets, rather than throwing it in the bin."
Wrap director Richard Swannell said he welcomed Tesco's initiative and said: "Food waste is a global issue and collaborative action is essential if we are to successfully reduce food waste and reap the financial and environmental benefits of doing so."
Tesco announced six months ago that reducing food waste would be one of three 'Big Ambitions' for how it could use its scale for good; the other two ambitions are to create opportunities for young people and to encourage customers and colleagues to live healthier lives.
In an address to the Global Green Growth Forum in Copenhagen today, chief executive Philip Clarke will say that the company is using the insights from its study on food waste to drive innovation.
"We are the world's third largest retailer, so clearly we have a responsibility to minimise the food wasted in our stores," he will say.
"However, we sit at the heart of the value chain and this gives us a crucial vantage point and a shared responsibility to act far beyond the doors of our stores."
