Digital tool helps MENY in the fight against food waste

After a successful pilot project, Dagrofa has decided to roll out the food waste management app Whywaste across all MENY stores in Denmark. At MENY Solrød, the solution has already delivered significant reductions in food waste. In addition to the app itself, the new solution includes handheld terminals and mobile label printers that enable staff to print discount labels directly from the application.

Reducing food waste is a key priority for many supermarket chains today. At MENY, Dagrofa’s flagship retail brand, the focus extends beyond donating surplus food to charitable causes. Equally important is changing store routines and empowering employees to proactively prevent food waste before it occurs.

Whywaste is the latest tool introduced in MENY stores as part of a serious commitment to tackling food waste and managing products approaching their expiration dates. As part of the Whywaste project, Delfi Technologies was selected as the supplier of handheld terminals (Zebra TC57) and mobile label printers (Zebra ZQ610) for Dagrofa.

Digital Tools Make a Difference

Using handheld terminals, store employees can access the Whywaste app and monitor product expiration dates. A clear overview highlights items at risk of expiring, while connected mobile printers allow staff to print discount labels directly through the app. This enables customers to purchase products at a reduced price instead of the store having to discard them at the end of the day.

With the Whywaste app and the mobile solution from Delfi Technologies, employees no longer need to manually inspect and review products throughout the store. For the team at MENY Solrød, this has become a valuable tool in everyday operations.“As a supermarket, we need to embrace new technology in the fight against food waste. This new solution creates greater visibility and allows us to reduce food waste proactively through a simple app. It enables us to use our resources far more effectively. As a next step, we hope to extract data and statistics from the Whywaste platform so that we can adjust our product assortment based on the actual situation in the store,” says Kasper Bull Krogh Cheung, Deputy Store Manager at MENY Solrød.

New Initiatives Prepare MENY Solrød for the Future

Like more than 200 Dagrofa stores—including MENY, SPAR, Min Købmand, and Let-Køb—MENY Solrød also uses electronic shelf labels from Delfi Technologies. This ensures that prices are always up to date, meaning the price displayed on the shelf is always the same as the price charged at checkout.

In September 2019, the store also completed a major renovation project. The transformation introduced a new food market concept with a more open layout, an expanded butcher and delicatessen department, a new kiosk, a larger wine department, and a new flower section.

According to Store Manager Dorthe Jensen, the combination of the renovation and the store’s digital initiatives has positioned MENY Solrød strongly for the future:“We have been using electronic shelf labels for several years. Combined with our recent renovation, which has created a more open and inviting store environment, we have now also become a serious player in the fight against food waste. Together, these initiatives prepare us for the future and ultimately create a better experience for our customers.”