Why the UK needs to tackle food waste

Britain wastes the most food in Europe. This shaming study, which measured the waste produced across six member states, demonstrated how the UK needs to stop being a throwaway society and really think about what ends up in the bin, says Philip Simpson, commercial director at ReFood.

“The UK has a real problem when it comes to wasting food and this study has confirmed it in the starkest of statistics. The environmental impact of global food production is massive – in terms of water, labour and transportation, not to mention the carbon impact – and everyone should be taking steps to reduce it. There are also financial benefits available by recycling using businesses like ReFood or preventing the waste in the first place – our own Vision 2020 report has shown that £17bn could be saved by households, businesses and the public sector if we eradicate food waste to landfill by 2020.

“Vision 2020 has even more startling statistics about food wastage – 50% of all food produced on the planet never reaches a human stomach. And the harmful methane produced by food waste has a global warming potential 21 times greater than carbon dioxide. It clear how vital it is that businesses and consumers recognise both the impact of food waste and the potential it has a resource. It’s not just generating energy, prevention is primarily critical, but there will always be an element of wastage so we need to ensure that this is separated for recycling where it could be used as animal feed, compost or energy production.

“But few people really realise the amount of food they waste – it ends up in the kitchen bin and is soon forgotten. If people could really see the amount of food waste they produced they would be shocked by how much of their weekly shop – and therefore income – ends up rotting away.

“The same is for businesses – they’re literally throwing away their profit margins. But there are additional savings achievable by preventing waste. At ReFood, as part of our customer reporting, we track the amount of food waste produced at each collection. It’s common to see a sharp drop in the amount being produced during the first few weeks of a contract, as businesses are able to see what they’re throwing away for the first time. They quickly take steps to reduce it through reducing portion sizes, using leftovers and dropping garnishes for instance.

“Since local authorities stopped communications initiatives around recycling, as part of austerity measures, there is limited to no opportunity to engage with the public and achieve behavioural change. There is also no policy that will provide the stick to make households and businesses separate food waste for recycling.

“I would like to hope that seeing the UK at the bottom of European league table will galvanise the Government into taking action. With those in power pulling industry incentive schemes and providing little to support guaranteed feedstock, the industry really is on a knife edge. But ultimately, as a nation, we have to get food waste out of landfill. By doing so, we’ll make a massive saving on greenhouse gas emissions and landfill capacity, while providing an important, sustainable and safe source of renewable energy.”

To find out more on ReFood’s thoughts on eradicating food waste from landfill, download its Vision 2020 Roadmap to zero food waste landfill.

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