Not-for-profit vegetarian eatery Lentil as Anything today announced plans to extend its pay-as-you-feel approach to a new supermarket.

The store, stocked with supplies from food-rescue program Food Without Borders, will be housed at the Lentil as Anything Thornbury location in a space formerly used for events.

Shoppers can name their price, and those who can’t afford to pay for their goods are welcome to take what they need at no cost.
It’s reported that Australians waste up to 4 million tonnes of food annually, and discard up to 20 per cent of the food they purchase.

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Together with Food Without Borders, the team behind Lentil as Anything will be working with local restaurants, farmers markets and businesses (including Aldi, Dench Bakers and SecondBite) to salvage some of this produce and make it available the public.

A range of vegetables, fruit, bread, house-made pickles and preserves will be available, though stock will vary on a week-to-week basis depending on availability.

The supermarket will be staffed almost entirely by volunteers, with all money spent by consumers going toward overheads such as electricity, transport and storage. Shoppers are also encouraged to volunteer in the store.

OzHarvest launched a supermarket in Sydney last year with a similar approach; grocery items may be past their sell-by date, and produce may look less than perfect, but still be fit for consumption.
These markets help to address and raise awareness of the issue of food wastage, while also providing more affordable food to the local community.

The Inconvenience Store will officially launch on Sunday July 8.

lentilasanything.com