Britain wastes more food than any other country in the EU, new research suggests
Zoë Chambers, from Sustain commented: "We welcome any new research which could help to shed further light and awareness on the huge problem of food waste. Whilst significant progress has been made in recent years in the UK, this latest report is a stark reminder that there is still a huge amount of work to be done to stop edible food from going to waste."
"The Sustainable Food Cities network, which we help to run, is working to combat food waste in UK cities. For example in London, the FoodSave programme has worked with food businesses to reduce food waste and divert edible surplus to feed people, whilst Cambridge has been working to reduce household food waste through education programmes, cooking workshops and campaigning.
In the UK we have extensive data on consumer food waste, which in some respects puts us in a strong position compared to other EU countries where no reliable data is available. We would welcome more research in the area which takes the entire food chain – from field to fork – into consideration. Moreover we want more action to reduce all types of food waste, from the wonky veg that never makes it to our supermarket shelves, to making sure that reduction and diversion of edible surplus to feed people is prioritised over anaerobic digestion (in accordance to Feedback’s food waste hierarchy).
Notes
The Sustainable Food Cities network is an alliance of public, private and third sector organisations using food as a vehicle for positive change. The Network helps people and places to share challenges, explore practical solutions and develop best practice in all aspects of healthy and sustainable food. It is coordinated by Food Matters, Soil Association and Sustain, and is funded by the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation.
Food Waste: Sustain supports a reduction in food surplus, loss and waste.
