Sainsbury’s will next week open Sainsfreeze, a new walk-in freezer concept store that will show shoppers how to freeze unsuspecting foods so they can reduce waste and potentially save money.

Opening temporarily in London’s Boxpark, Shoreditch, between 27-28 September, the “first of its kind” walk-in freezer will look like a regular Sainsbury’s from the outside. However, once inside, customers will be greeted with frozen groceries that they would usually buy fresh. Shelves will be stacked with fruit and veg, dairy, meat, fish and baked goods, but everything will be frozen. All the food will also be given away for free.

Foods normally found on each aisle will be frozen in innovative ways to help save space and keep food for longer, thus reducing food waste. From mixing wilting herbs with oil or water and freezing them into ice cube trays, to portioning minced meat and freezing flat to save space, the retailer hopes the store will teach people new ways to freeze food that allows them to reduce waste in the home.

The items available have been selected off the back of research that revealed the items British consumers most commonly throw away as they are about to go off. This includes milk, eggs, bread, and onions as well as other commonly wasted items foods, such as bananas and herbs.

Sainsbury’s has committed to halving food waste across its operations by 2030. This has been supported by recent initiatives such as removing ‘best before’ dates on 276 products and working with Neighbourly to donate meals to those who need it most.

Ruth Cranston, Director of Corporate Responsibility & Sustainability at Sainsbury’s, said,: “We recognise the way our customers shop and eat has benefits for their health and the planet too. It’s why our mission, helping everyone eat better, supports our customers to make healthier, more sustainable choices.

“When people think about climate change, food waste often gets overlooked. Around a third of food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted and it contributes a whopping 8-10% of greenhouse gas emissions globally each year. That is why we are launching Sainsfreeze, to help customers try and combat food waste and learn handy hints and top tips along the way. Innovative freezing not only allows us to save food we would otherwise have thrown away, but also to buy reduced food close to its use-by date, saving even more money on the weekly grocery bill.”

Catherine David, Director of Collaboration and Change at WRAP, added: “This is an excellent and unique concept from Sainsbury’s. We need to look at our food storage and how we can ensure we waste as little as possible. Sainsfreeze will certainly help inform people about storing their food, and what unexpected items they’re able to freeze to guarantee less food is wasted.

“With food waste costing the average household with children around £730 a year, and particularly in the current climate as we’re all looking for ways to save money wherever we can, this is really going to help our food last longer. It would be great to see more of these rolled out across the country and reach more people”.

Sainsbury’s noted that all surplus food from Sainsfreeze will be donated to its food redistribution charity partner FareShare.