Lily Sawyer is an in-house writer for EME Outlook Magazine, where she is responsible for interviewing corporate executives and crafting original features for the magazine, corporate...
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Tesco and RenEco have launched a new surplus food feed facility in Northamptonshire, transforming bakery and produce waste into animal feed and advancing circularity across the UK food system.
Tesco has taken another decisive step in advancing circularity across the UK food system with the launch of a new food surplus feed facility in collaboration with RenEco.
Located in Chelveston, Northamptonshire, the new site has now begun processing Tesco’s surplus bakery and produce into animal feed, creating a more sustainable use for food that has already been offered to Tesco colleagues and charity partners.
Owned and operated by RenEco, Tesco’s existing food waste partner, the facility has been designed to process surplus food at scale, supporting the retailer’s wider sustainability ambitions while reducing waste across its supply chain.
REENGINEERING FOOD SURPLUS
The Chelveston facility has been purpose-built to manufacture animal feed from Tesco’s surplus bakery and produce, helping to create a more circular supply chain.
Unlike conventional processing sites, the plant has been specifically designed to handle packaged food delivered in supermarket cages, while also accommodating bulk volumes and palletised materials from food manufacturing sites.
Surplus food is collected from every Tesco store in the UK and transported through the retailer’s existing distribution network. Once it arrives at the plant, cages are weighed and automatically analysed for feed safety before bakery and produce materials are quality checked and mechanically de-packaged.
The resulting ingredients are then blended into a formulated feed tailored to the specifications of end farms.
In time, Tesco intends for feed produced at the facility to be supplied directly to farmers within its own supply chain, further embedding circularity into its operations.
DESIGNED FOR SCALE
Operating year-round, the Chelveston site has the capacity to process up to 1,000 tonnes of product per week at peak.
This scale and flexibility mean the facility is not only capable of handling Tesco’s own surplus, but also food surplus from other retailers, Tesco suppliers, and food manufacturers.
That broader capability positions the site as a potentially transformative development for the UK food industry, offering a more efficient and scalable solution for how food waste is processed nationwide.
By creating infrastructure capable of managing surplus beyond a single retailer, Tesco and RenEco are helping to redefine how the industry approaches food waste – moving it away from disposal and towards productive reuse.
“The Chelveston site marks a step change in our ambition to drive more circularity and sustainability in our food system. Its ability to handle surplus from our suppliers and other retailers makes it potentially transformational in how waste is handled in the UK and will be instrumental in helping Tesco to reduce its food waste”
The feed plant is located within Chelveston Renewable Energy Park and is powered entirely by renewable electricity generated from wind and solar.
Its central location has also been strategically chosen to reduce Tesco’s transport-related carbon impact, while proximity to the supermarket’s rail hub further supports lower-emissions logistics.
Together, these design considerations strengthen the site’s sustainability credentials and reinforce its role in Tesco’s wider decarbonisation strategy.
Beyond environmental gains, the facility is also expected to support local economic development, with RenEco committed to recruiting and training local people to create employment opportunities in surrounding communities.
“By collaborating with Tesco we have been able to design, build and operate a facility that provides an innovative solution to create a circular supply chain. We are passionate about providing a product which is both nutritional and less carbon intensive than traditional feeds. Our investment in this facility is another example of RenEco’s commitment to providing industry leading solutions to our partners and customers”
For Tesco, the Chelveston site represents a major milestone in its ambition to build a more circular and sustainable food system.
The new facility marks a step change in the retailer’s approach to reducing food waste, with the potential to transform how surplus is handled across the UK.
For RenEco, the project reflects a long-term investment in circular innovation and lower-carbon feed production.
Together, Tesco and RenEco are setting a new benchmark for food surplus management in the UK – one that combines scale, sustainability, and supply chain innovation to turn waste into value.
This article was produced by the editorial team at EME Outlook and published as part of the Outlook Publishing global network of B2B industry magazines.
Outlook Publishing delivers industry insights, company stories, and sector coverage across manufacturing, mining, construction, healthcare, supply chains, food production, and sustainability.
EME Outlook provides ongoing coverage of organisations and developments shaping industries across Europe and the Middle East.
Lily Sawyer is an in-house writer for EME Outlook Magazine, where she is responsible for interviewing corporate executives and crafting original features for the magazine, corporate brochures, and the digital platform.
