Source: BusinessGreen

Fabian Society report recommends more transparency in order to tackle £12bn of edible food wasted each year in UK

Supermarkets could help the UK reduce the £12bn mountain of edible food thrown away each year by tracking and publishing their food waste performance.

That is one of the conclusions of a report published yesterday by the Fabian Society, which says the move would not solve the problem in itself but would be “an important step” towards building public awareness and support for strategies to reduce food waste.

The report came on the same day research by frozen food company Birds Eye found families massively underestimate the amount of food they throw out. Of an average £68 weekly spend on food, families surveyed for the study estimated they disposed of £5.20 worth, while figures from WRAP, the government’s waste advisers, put the figure closer to £13.

The Birds Eye study found the main reason for people wasting food is largely down to buying more food than they need, which 37 per cent of the 2,116 surveyed admitted to. Over 20 per cent said they did so because of supermarket offers including ‘Buy One get One Free’ deals or similar, while one in three admitted lack of meal planning prior to shopping contributed to waste.

Better meal planning is recommended by the Fabian’s report, which also says improved information about what foods can be frozen would help reduce the impact of food waste.

The report also notes that as most people do not see themselves as food wasters, telling people they will save money from not wasting food is ineffective. Instead, people are far more motivated by the benefits to the environment, the report’s author, Natan Doron, claimed.

However, while individuals are motivated to reduce their waste, they need to see that others, as well as companies, are doing their bit, which highlights the need for supermarkets publishing public data on food waste.

“What’s the point of a public engagement campaign to lower household food waste if supermarkets can chuck vast amounts of food out at the end of each day?” Doron asked, adding that while many retailers are taking action, some still decline to comment when asked about how much they are throwing away.

“This sort of business behaviour sends out all the wrong signals,” he said. “If supermarkets can show they are all taking food waste seriously, imagine how much more seriously their customers would take it.”