Sainsbury's tries something new with supply chain technology

Sainsbury's has invested many millions in supply chain technology

Sainsbury's has made a multi-million pound investment in real-time supply chain technology that it says will reduce the amount of un-bought food by 15 per cent during periods of unexpected weather.

There were six such bouts last year, which saw perishable foods such as salads go to waste when predicted hot weather failed to make an appearance.

The real-time technology was created in-house and will reduce un-bought food leading to a reduction in CO2 emissions of 1,400 tonnes, according to the company.

This is because it continually monitors food coming off supermarket shelves and so allows the company to know which food to send to individual stores each day.

This means the company can react to big changes in buying patterns on the same day.

Tim Goalen, Sainsbury's supply chain director, said: "Several times a year, shelves might be full of barbecue food for the weekend, only for unexpected rain to cause everyone to clamour for warm, hearty food instead. This new way of working will greatly reduce the risk of this."