Marks and Spencer caught throwing away trolleys of undiscounted food

Staff member reportedly said the store was 'not allowed to reduce stock in the first two weeks of the shopping centre being open'

A woman examines a product on display as she shops in the food department of a Marks and Spencer store on April 11, 2006 (Getty)

Thousands of people have shared a Facebook post by a shopper in Bradford exposing Marks and Spencer for throwing out trolley-loads of undiscounted food.

Natalia Glover said she visited Marks and Spencer's new store in the Broadway shopping centre in Bradford, to see a member of staff taking trolley loads of stock off the shelves. When she asked the assistant if the food was being reduced, they said that it was going in the bin.

Natalia Glover's Facebook post has been shared thousands of times.

She said the staff member explained that Marks and Spencer was not "allowed to reduce stock in the first two weeks of the shopping centre being open".

Marks and Spencer said it does not discount food in the first two weeks of any store being open so that it can gauge the shopping habits of people in that area, which can help reduce waste in the future.

But shoppers have reacted with disgust.

"I continued shopping to come across at least another 5 trolleys the same! What and complete waste of good food that people without could have!" Natalia said in her post.

A spokesman from Marks and Spencer said that any food that isn’t sold within its shelf life is given to a local charity partner or sent for recycling to generate energy. The Bradford food waste was initially sent off to be converted to renewable energy using a process called anaerobic digestion, before a charity partner was found.

"This system is now set up in our new Bradford store which will be supporting the local community with food donations," the spokeman said.

Marks and Spencer also said on Twitter: "We aim to reduce food waste by selling short-life items discounted, to both customers and employees."