Tesco’s unveiling of its “buy one get one free - later” (BOGOFL) deal has certainly raised a few eyebrows this week.

The move ticks all the right boxes when it comes to displaying the retailer’s environmental credentials, while proving that it is eagerly falling in line with government guidelines on slashing food waste.

But I am sceptical about how many of the vouchers issued at check-out will be claimed. The sad truth is that a large proportion are likely to end up scrunched up at the bottom of a handbag or stuffed into a wallet, unlikely to ever see the light of day again - at least not until the validity date has well and truly passed. In effect, this could mean produce being thrown away by Tesco, rather than by the consumer - so hardly a coup for food wastage after all.

How the initiative will work in practice also raises a whole plethora of questions around stock levels and the viability of substituting fresh produce on a like-for-like basis, in a category so evidently dominated by highly changeable seasons and supply sources. Will suppliers be forced to bear the brunt of maintaining potentially artificial stock levels to ensure the choice is there, and who will absorb that cost?

This latest move from the UK’s largest retailer is either a genuinely well thought out method of reducing food waste - or a flash-in-the-pan PR stunt.