A supermarket in Manchester has left some locals agape after pictures emerged showing staff piling heaps of fresh produce into waste carts after fridges failed on Monday night.
It is understood that some refrigeration units at Tesco in Stretford failed on Monday after a day of soaring temperatures across the region brought highs of over 35C.
Images shared with The Manc show large amounts of food being emptied out of fridges and dumped into wire carts at Stretford Tesco as aisles were blocked off.
After speaking with customers who were there, The Manc understands that much of this produce was marked as waste and then thrown away.
This is in line with existing hygiene regulations, which mean that food that hasn’t been able to be stored at the correct temperatures must be removed from sale – either to additional cool space or to be disposed of entirely .
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Still, some who witnessed it were left in shock at the amount of food being wasted at a time when many are struggling to feed their families.
A customer who wished to remain anonymous told The Manc: “Stretford Tesco’s fridges broke and they were piling the contents of every fridge into trolleys to bin it all.
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“I felt sick. There wasn’t a single fridge with stuff in and it’s a giant Tesco.”
Image: The Manc Group
They added: “We thought maybe the temperature was too warm in there and it brought the temperatures of the fridges up too much to be able to keep things at the right temperature.”
Elsewhere, at another large Tesco store in Prestwich, produce was seen being taken out of freezers but staff told customers that it was not being thrown away but rather stored in the back to keep it cool.
— Maze of Deception (@MazeofDeception) July 18, 2022
Images shared on Twitter suggest that the problem is not unique to Manchester but is happening across the country, with some social media users speculating that thousands of pounds worth of produce has been binned as a result.
One user wrote: “All the fridges and freezers in the big Tesco have stopped working due to the heat #BigTroubleInBigTesco.”
It is not the first time that such an issue has occurred at the supermarket, with similar reports often cropping up in previous years whenever there has been a surge in temperatures.
Legally here in the UK, supermarkets are well within their rights to destroy unsold food but some campaigners have argued that the law should be changed to make such food waste illegal.
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According to food waste charity Fairbite, 250,000 tons of food is thrown away in the UK each year by supermarkets whilst at the same time some citizens find themselves facing hunger as they do not have the money to feed themselves.
In France, there are new laws on fighting food waste that mean French supermarkets are forbidden from destroying unsold food products and are instead compelled to donate it to charities.
Image: The Manc Group
Since this law was introduced in France in 2016, food poverty campaigners in the UK have argued that similar measures should be adopted here to prevent edible food being wasted when millions of people are going hungry.
According to the Food Foundation, a total of 7.3 million adults and 2.6 million children experienced food poverty in April 2022.
A Tesco spokesperson said: “Some refrigeration and freezer units at our Stretford Extra store are currently being worked on at by our maintenance teams who will get them back up and running as soon as possible.
“We apologise for any inconvenience caused.”
Feature image – The Manc Group
News
Former Manchester City player Joey Barton found guilty of assaulting his wife
Danny Jones
Ex-footballer Joey Barton has officially been found guilty of assaulting his wife following his two-day trial in the capital this week.
Barton, who played for Manchester City, Newcastle United, Queens Park Rangers and a number of other clubs, was convicted at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, 25 March, following an incident back in June 2021.
The former midfielder left his wife, 37-year-old Georgia Barton (McNeil), with a bleeding nose and a bruise on her forehead following a drunken row at their home in London.
Barton is said to have grabbed and pushed her to the floor before kicking her in the head. Married in 2019, the two have four children and are thought to still be together.
The 42-year-old was still employed in professional football as the manager of Bristol Rovers at the time, but he was ultimately sacked in October 2023.
His wife called 999 at the time, telling police that he had hit her, but later retracted her statement.
Born in Huyton, Merseyside, the chief magistrate Paul Goldspring recognised that the one-time England has a history of violence.
He was given a 12-week suspended prison sentence, meaning he won’t serve time unless he commits another offence and has been ordered to pay £2,138.
Since dropping out of mainstream football, in particular, Barton has come under heavy criticism for allegations of racism, sexism and controversial right-wing politics; he even started an ‘anti-woke’ podcast called Common Sense with Joey Barton.
Back in June of last year, he was ordered to pay £35,000 in damages to settle a libel claim with presenter Jeremy Vine after a series of inflammatory comments made online.
The Radio 2 presenter sued Mr Barton earlier this year, after the former footballer wrote a series of posts suggesting Mr Vine had a sexual interest in children.
He also accused of threatening fellow former pro, Eni Aluko, after a torrent of abuse regarding her punditry online – the ex-England international even went so far as to say she no longer felt safe staying in the country.
Police appeal after man seriously injured in Northern Quarter stabbing
Daisy Jackson
Greater Manchester Police are appealing for witnesses after a stabbing in the Northern Quarter left a man seriously injured.
The incident occurred around 7.45pm on Thursday 20 March, on Tib Street near Market Street and Piccadilly Gardens.
Emergency services scrambled to the scene and the victim, a man in his 20s, taken to hospital with serious injuries.
Thankfully his injuries aren’t believed to be life-threatening or life-changing.
No arrests have yet been made and officers are now appealing for witnesses to assist with enquiries.
DI Geoffrey Machent, of the City of Manchester Division, said: “At around 7.45pm on Thursday 20 March, we were called to reports of a stabbing on Tib Street.
“A man was subsequently taken to hospital with injuries that are not life-threatening or life-changing. He remains there for treatment.
“At this time, we do not believe the incident presents any threat to the wider public or local businesses operating in the area.
“Neighbourhood officers will be deployed to provide reassurance in the locality over the coming days, including our newly formed Piccadilly Gardens team.
“We would like to appeal to the public for any information, or anyone who witnessed this incident, to please come forward.”
If anyone has information regarding this stabbing in the Northern Quarter, contact police by calling 101, or via the Live Chat service at gmp.police.uk.
Alternatively, you can call the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111. Always dial 999 in an emergency.
Georgina Pellant -
19th July 2022 
