Just one of the four leading supermarket chains plans to donate food to charity in response to a government request to reduce the 29 tonnes of edible food dumped by retailers every day.
A spokeswoman for Wellcome said it had held talks with the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department about taking part in its pilot food recycling programme and planned to launch a trial donation scheme in partnership with a charity.
'Wellcome is in the process of identifying a potential partner and working out a feasible implementation plan,' she said.
Last month, Friends of the Earth released the results of a survey showing how supermarkets disposed of tonnes of food before its expiry date. It investigated ParknShop, Wellcome, CR Vanguard and Jusco, which command a 53 per cent share of Hong Kong's retail sector.
The discarded food was enough to feed 48,000 three-person families, one food bank manager said.
In a response to lawmakers' questions, environment minister Edward Yau Tang-wah said at a Legislative Council meeting yesterday that the bureau met bosses at the four chains, suggesting that they consider donating food to charities.
'We expressed our wish that supermarkets actively consider collaborating with non-profit organisations,' Yau said. 'We encourage the trade to put such surplus food to good use and to minimise the disposal of edible surplus food.'