Tesco turns surplus food into livestock feed in UK first

Tesco has begun turning surplus food into animal feed at a new UK facility, in a move aimed at cutting waste and strengthening links with farmers.

Processing is now under way at the Chelveston Renewable Energy Park in Northamptonshire, where leftover bakery items and fresh produce from Tesco stores are being repurposed through a partnership with waste specialist RenEco.

The initiative focuses on food that has already been offered to staff and charities, ensuring any remaining surplus is redirected into the supply chain rather than discarded.

The plant has been designed to handle packaged food delivered in supermarket cages, as well as bulk and palletised materials from suppliers — allowing it to process surplus at a much larger scale than traditional sites.

Food is collected from Tesco stores across the UK and transported through its distribution network. On arrival, it is weighed and checked for safety before being mechanically de-packaged and processed into feed tailored to farmers’ specifications.

Tesco said the long-term aim is for the feed to be supplied back to farms within its own supply chain, creating a more circular system between retail and agriculture.

The site is powered entirely by renewable energy from wind and solar, and its central location has been chosen to reduce transport emissions and improve efficiency.

Operating year-round, the facility can handle up to 1,000 tonnes of surplus food a week at peak capacity.

RenEco said the plant has been built to process surplus from a wide range of sources, including other retailers and food manufacturers, potentially transforming how food waste is handled across the UK.

Christine Heffernan, Tesco’s chief communications and sustainability officer, said the development marks “a step change in our ambition to drive more circularity and sustainability in our food system”.

She added that its ability to handle surplus from across the supply chain makes it “potentially transformational in how waste is handled in the UK”.

Tom Osborne, food by-products operations manager at RenEco, said the collaboration had created “an innovative solution to create a circular supply chain”.

He added the company is focused on producing feed that is “nutritional and less carbon intensive than traditional feeds”, while also supporting local employment through recruitment and training.

The project is expected to create jobs in the surrounding area, as well as offering a new route for surplus food to be reused within the agricultural sector.

The development highlights a growing shift towards circular systems in UK food production, with retailers and farmers increasingly linked in efforts to reduce waste and improve sustainability.