Expert: Discount pricing can save food from the bin in Estonia

Food waste remains a significant problem in Estonia and across Europe, touching on environmental, economic, and social responsibility issues. Prisma sustainability and quality manager Katrin Jõgi explains how discount pricing strategies can help reduce the amount of food that ends up in the bin.

Food waste continues to be one of the most pressing challenges facing Estonia and the broader European community, with consequences spanning environmental damage, economic loss, and questions of social responsibility. Katrin Jõgi, sustainability and quality manager at Estonian supermarket chain Prisma, argues that smarter pricing strategies — particularly discounts on products nearing their expiry date — could play a decisive role in tackling the problem.

According to Jõgi, one of the most effective tools available to retailers is reducing prices on food items that are close to their sell-by dates. Rather than allowing these products to be discarded, offering them at a reduced price encourages consumers to purchase and consume them before they go to waste. This approach benefits both the customer, who saves money, and the environment, which is spared unnecessary waste.

The issue carries real weight: food that is thrown away represents not only wasted resources but also unnecessary greenhouse gas emissions generated during production, transport, and disposal. Addressing food waste is therefore not simply a matter of good housekeeping — it is an environmental and economic imperative.

Retailers, Jõgi notes, have a unique opportunity to lead by example and shift consumer behaviour through transparent communication and practical pricing decisions. When shoppers understand the connection between their purchasing choices and broader sustainability outcomes, they are more likely to opt for discounted near-expiry products rather than passing them by.