Food Saver: Lives off £50/year supermarket discards

Sofie Juel Andersen, a 31-year-old restaurant manager, has adopted a remarkable lifestyle, primarily subsisting on food rejected by supermarkets since 2021. In 2024, her expenditure on food amounted to a mere £50, and she has spent so little this year that she hasn't even bothered to track it, only recently purchasing oil and salt.

Her journey into dumpster diving began over four years ago while living in Australia, inspired by her sister's finds in Denmark. Initially focusing on fresh produce, her dives expanded to include a wide array of items, often beyond their best-before dates. She now frequently finds significant quantities of items like ice cream, alcohol, crisps, and hummus, often having to store the surplus creatively around her home.

Sofie views her practice as a response to the significant environmental problem of food waste, which accounts for a large percentage of global greenhouse gas emissions. She actively shares her experiences on social media platforms, advocating for food to be eaten rather than discarded. While she has encountered some online negativity, her friends and family are supportive of her sustainable approach.