Iceland has launched a new free food initiative that gives away produce at the end of its shelf life for free in a bid to prevent food waste. 

The frozen food retailer claims its ‘Free on Last Day of Life’ initiative has the potential to give away more than 1.3 million items worth £500,000 a year to its customers while also cutting back on food waste – all food items ordered and delivered by Iceland have previously had a shelf life of at least two days.

The scheme has been launched across 1,000 of its stores following a successful trial in forty sites, which saw over 17,000 items given away for free and customers receiving an average refund of £1.58 per order.

The process is simple and doesn’t require any extra effort from the customer; If an item ordered is the only one left and has the same day date, it will be scanned, labelled and placed in the shopping cart as normal. The customer will then be made aware of the free item ahead of delivery and will not be charged the original price.

Fresh, chilled, baked, cakes and morning produce are all included in the scheme.

Iceland Foods managing director, Richard Walker said: “Reducing food waste is a huge priority for us as we continue to reduce our impact on the environment.

Alwyn Ladell / Flickr

“We know that shelf life plays a big role in the creation of surplus food so we to have find an innovative way to combat this within our stores and via our online shopping.

“Our Free on Last Day of Life scheme not only helps reduce food waste but also supports our customers.

“We know cost is key to many of our shoppers and this new initiative allows us to offer them the opportunity to reduce their weekly shopping bills as well as helping to reduce food waste.”

The scheme is available both online and in store now; you can find your closest Iceland supermarket here. 

In somewhat unsurprising news, Manchester has been voted as the second best place in the whole of the UK for a good independent pint and boozer.

The survey, commissioned by business-comparison site Bionic, set out to uncover the UK’s best craft drinking destinations in an attempt to get people back in pubs following a rough eighteen months for the hospitality industry.

The study judged each city based on its pubs’ customer reviews, the number of unique beers available and the number of top rated pubs and microbreweries to create an index ranking.

@themarblearch / Instagram

It also looked at the most popular pints to share on social media and which independent beers are each generation’s favourite.

And, low and behold, Manchester ranked very handsomely in second place as a result of its vast number of 1,600 independent pubs and 781 unique beers, scoring a respectable 77 out of 100 in the overall index ranking. That’s a lot of beer.

And to make this news even better, Manchester beat the capital city London, which ranked in third place with 5,800 independent pubs and 552 unique beers (none of which will be a patch on ours, obviously.)

Newcastle took the top spot, just pipping us to the crown with a score of 80 on the overall index ranking.

Bionic

Glyn Britton, Chief Customer Officer at Bionic, reflected on why we should consider visiting local pubs rather than supporting chains: “The lockdowns have been hard for many small businesses so next time you’re in need of some essentials or even just fancy a pint, try heading down to your local high street to explore what’s on offer at the grocery shops, restaurants, pubs and microbreweries.

“You won’t just be getting goods, you’ll be helping to support the future growth of your neighbourhood and help give back to your community.”

You can read the full report here. 

A new ‘cheating map’ has revealed the staggering number of people allegedly having affairs in Greater Manchester.

The Official Infidelity Index, run by married-dating site Illicit Encounters, allows users to see just how many affairs are getting underway by location across the whole of the UK using specific counties, cities and even postcodes.

And, low and behold, there’s a staggering amount of you unfaithful lot doing the dirty right here in Greater Manchester.

@iceeedc / Unsplash

The map claims that precisely 27,224 people are having affairs in Manchester alone, while 2,994 are cheating in Altrincham, 1,251 in Salford, 1,141 in Bury, 916 in Hale, 906 in Wigan and 684 in Bolton.

Manchester ranks in fourth place out of all UK cities for affairs, with it being narrowly beaten by Nottingham (28,719), Birmingham (45,787) and London (a whopping 168,322).

And while this data may seem a little untrustworthy, the figures are based on Illicit Encounters’ very own extensive data, who claim the rise in cheating is a result of pandemic restrictions being lifted and people feeling unhappy with their partners during the 2020 lockdowns.

Illicit Encounters spokeswoman Jessica Leoni said on the results: “We have seen a rise in cheating over the last year throughout Greater Manchester, particularly since the start of autumn with almost all adults being double jabbed.

Andrew Neel / Unsplash