At FareShare, we work with incredible partners who recognise the value of surplus food, and who make a huge impact by redistributing unsold food through our network.
But we are still seeing an estimated 4.6 million tonnes of edible food wasted each year across the supply chain.
Prevention of food waste must be the top priority and FareShare supports initiatives to this end, such as the Target-Measure-Act approach recommended by the UN15 and the Courtauld Commitment spearheaded by WRAP.16 However, evidence shows that voluntary progress in this area is slowing, and showing signs of regressing, with food waste volumes actually increasing since 2018.17
The Government should not rely on a purely voluntary approach and must introduce further policy to ensure that when food surplus cannot be prevented, businesses are able to do everything possible to minimise its negative environmental impact and maximise its social value. It’s clear that getting that food to people is the best way to achieve this.
Current UK policies aimed at reducing food waste rely on the goodwill of businesses actively choosing to redistribute their surplus. We know that more businesses want to play their part. Yet too often, faced with the costs of redistribution and uncertainties about the legal ramifications, many are put off. Indeed, in some cases food businesses are being paid to put their good, edible surplus food into biogas digesters.18
Incentives that recognise surplus food redistribution as the most sustainable option, together with new reporting requirements, and better guidance and support, could make a major impact on efforts to reduce food waste throughout the sector. In countries with incentives to redistribute surplus, like France, Spain and the USA, a higher percentage of their surplus food reaches people who need it – we now need to see this model adopted in the UK.19
References
Champions 12.3 (2020) Call to Global Action on Food Loss and Waste. Available at: https://champions123.org/ publication/call-global-action-food-loss-and-waste.
WRAP (2021) The Courtauld Commitment 2030. Available at: https://wrap.org.uk/taking-action/food-drink/ initiatives/courtauld-commitment.
WRAP (2023) Courtauld Commitment 2030 Milestone Report. Available at: https://www.wrap.ngo/resources/ report/courtauld-commitment-milestone-report-2023.
The Standard (2023) ‘The great food waste scandal: 2.9m tons of produce being dumped in landfill’. Available at: https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/food-waste- scandal-food-7bn-meals-dumped-landfill-b1105486.html.
Boston Consulting Group (2023). Comparison of percentage of surplus food volumes redistributed between the USA, France and Spain. Available at: http://fareshare. org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Boston-Consulting- Group-Surplus-Food-Volume-Comparison-Final-Slide.pdf