UK retailer Iceland has partnered with Welsh brewery Tiny Rebel to create a pale ale made from the supermarket’s surplus bread.
Tiny Rebel used unsold bread from both local Iceland stores and Iceland’s Welsh bread supplier to create the Bread Board ale, which has “tropical fruit and citrus aromas with a refreshing hopped bite.”
Iceland says that the move will help to tackle both food waste and ocean pollution, as 10p from every bottle sold will be donated to the environmental charity Surfers Against Sewage (SAS).
Individual bottles are now available from Iceland stores for £1.80 per bottle – or three for £5.00 – and Iceland estimates that three tonnes of unsold bread will be used to make the beer over the next year.
Iceland’s managing director, Richard Walker, said: “We’re thrilled to be launching Bread Board with the team at Tiny Rebel Brewery.
“By using surplus bread in this way, we’re helping to avoid food wastage and ensuring our resources are being used to their very best potential. The fact it tastes great too is an added bonus!
“As a surfer and environmentalist myself, I’m passionate about the need to protect our oceans and beaches from the scourge of plastics, and the creation of Bread Board gives us the perfect opportunity to combine our sustainability efforts.
“We couldn’t have picked a charity with an ethos more aligned to ours than Surfers Against Sewage and we’re looking forward to helping them with the important work they’re doing.”
Brad Cummings director of Tiny Rebel added: “We’re delighted to have developed Bread Board with Iceland. We’re really passionate about reducing waste and we’re chuffed to be helping Iceland repurpose this bread to make beer.
“We replace some of the malt in a brew with the bread, extracting starches and breaking them down into fermentable sugars, so the bread is more than just a flavouring.
“It’s a really drinkable beer that shows the value and the massive potential from using alternative ingredients.”
The release is the latest environmental move made by Iceland, as earlier this year the supermarket became the UK’s first retailer to make a commitment to eliminate all plastic packaging from its own-brand products by the end of 2023.
Iceland has also been trialling a reverse vending machine scheme in several of its stores, as the company aims to tackle the issue of plastic waste.
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