5,000 Tons Of Unsold Meat Burned To Provide Power

Major United Kingdom supermarket retailer Tesco is sending 5,000 tons of surplus meat per year to be burned to generate electricity for homes. Other major supermarkets plan to follow, and these actions are resulting in protests from animal advocates.

Supermarket Tesco cites these actions as part of a “green” drive to stop sending waste to landfill sites, and advocates claim that the environmental benefits are far outweighed by the greenhouse gasses produced by these animals raised for meat. The fuel produced from 5,000 tons of meat is enough to power 600 homes per year.

In addition to the general animal welfare concerns, animal advocates feel that many consumers would be shocked to learn that their power was generated by leftover meat and that consumers have a right to know the source.

Tesco has diverted all of its annual 531,000 tons of waste from landfills, and also plans to recycle all of its 20,000 tons of non-food waste as well.