By Jessica Shankleman, Source: BusinessGreen

Grilled sweet corn tamales, lentil dal with tamarind, and tropical tiramisu are just some of the foods that hundreds of ministers and diplomats will be eating for dinner in Nairobi tonight.

But, unusually, the four-course menu will be prepared from more than a tonne of fruit and veg rejected by UK and European supermarkets, in a bid to raise awareness of the millions of tonnes of edible fruit and vegetables that are wasted each year.

Ministers could even be heading home with doggy bags containing “ugly crudités” and “reject broccoli slaw” to highlight their commitment to the cause.

Supermarkets in industrialised countries have faced repeated criticism for only stocking the best looking fruit and vegetables, imposing strict specifications on farmers that contribute to the 222 million tonnes of food wasted each year.

According to UNEP, many farmers in Kenya are growing food for the export market, only to be told it does not meet the stringent cosmetic standards of UK supermarkets or that orders have been changed after harvest. While some of the extra food can be sold on locally, much is left to rot or fed to livestock.

Campaign group Feeding the 5,000 visited farmers in Kenya to collect 1,600kg of fruit and vegetables for the UNEP dinner tonight. The group’s founder, Tristram Stuart said the amount of food wasted was a “scandal”.

“We found one grower supplying a UK supermarket who is forced to waste up to 40 tonnes of vegetables every week, which is 40 per cent of what he grows,” he said. “The waste of perfectly edible ‘ugly’ vegetables is endemic in our food production systems and symbolizes our negligence.”

He refused to name the retailers that had rejected the original produce, over fears that it would create repercussions for the farmers that have donated food to the dinner. But he also issued a call for supermarkets to relax their cosmetic standards, which could in turn increase incomes for farmers and help to tackle food waste.

Some supermarkets, including Sainsbury’s and Morrisons, last year committed to take 100 per cent of British farmers’ crops regardless of blemishes or size, because of the bad harvest. Very ugly fruit can be used as ingredients for ready meals, while slightly wonky veg is often sold in “value ranges”.

None of the supermarkets that BusinessGreen contacted would comment on tonight’s dinner directly. However, Feeding the 5,000 has found that many continue to impose tough restrictions on produce imported from overseas.

Privately, supermarkets argue that consumers have become accustomed to a certain standard of fruit and vegetables, and that it would be difficult to lower those standards. They also note that those who are happy to have misshapen produce can buy the value ranges.

The dinner will be attended by delegates at the United Nations global ministerial environment forum, which is being held in Nairobi this week and is also part of the new Think.Eat.Save. global food waste campaign that aims to tackle the 1.3 billion tonne food mountain that is wasted each year.

Delegates from the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) youth conference last week also concluded that the UNEP government council should make food waste one of its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

This week’s talks aim to implement reforms to UNEP decided at the Rio+20 Earth summit, including proposals for Universal Membership for all countries and plans for a new strategy over the next three years, covering issues from climate change to toxic chemicals.

Opening day the conference yesterday, UNEP unveiled its 2013 Year Book, which includes a fresh warning over threats to the fragile Arctic environment.

The report shows that the rush for companies to tap into oil and gas reserves in the Arctic, as well as make use of new shipping lanes and fisheries, could threaten the fragile Arctic ecosystems and wildlife.

Last year, summer Arctic ice cover melted to a record low of 3.4 million square kilometres, 18 per cent below the previous recorded minimum in 2007 and 50 per cent below the average in the 1980s and 1990s.

“What we are seeing is that the melting of ice is prompting a rush for exactly the fossil fuel resources that fuelled the melt in the first place,” said UN Under-Secretary-General and UNEP executive director Achim Steiner.

The year book also highlighted the need for more information on the links between endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs)-found in many household and industrial products-and specific diseases and disorders.

“Investing in new testing methods and research can enhance understanding of the costs of exposure to EDCs, and assist in reducing risks, maximizing benefits and spotlighting more intelligent options and alternatives that reflect a transition to a green economy,” added Steiner.

Today also saw UNEP join with three other UN agencies to launch a new Partnership for Action on Green Economy (PAGE), as a direct response to the Rio+20 summit outcomes last year.

The partnership aims to help 30 countries build national green economy strategies over the next seven years, and also includes the International Labour Organization (ILO), the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR).

“The Partnership for Action on Green Economy will work with countries to catalyze change at the national level, assisting them with targeted economic and policy instruments and training that will accelerate their green economy transition across sectors ranging from clean energy to sustainable agriculture,” explained Steiner.