The discounter Penny wants to provide information about the outcome of its much-noticed “true cost campaign” at the beginning of next year. Penny and the scientists from the Technical University of Nuremberg and the University of Greifswald decided not to publish an interim report on product data and sales effects, the company announced on Tuesday. Because the premature publication of individual factors that have not been validly interpreted contradicts the goals of the campaign.
According to the company, the collected sales data, reactions and experiences will now be included anonymously in a study by the two universities, which is expected to be published in early 2024. The results should therefore serve to develop options for action for more sustainable food and a reduction in environmental costs.
For a week at the end of July, the discounter collected the “true” prices for 9 of its more than 3,000 products – that is, the amount that should actually be calculated if all the environmental damage caused by production is taken into account. As a result, products ranging from cheese to Wiener sausages were up to 94 percent more expensive. According to the retailer, he wanted to use this step to create more awareness of the environmental impact of food production.
The chain, which is part of the Rewe Group, donates the additional income – topped up by a company donation of 50,000 euros – to a project for climate protection and the preservation of family-run farms in the Alpine region. The company reported that a total of 375,000 euros was collected in this way.
