I spoke in my maiden speech about my desire to help those who are most vulnerable within society, and preventing food waste is definitely in line with this viewpoint. It is not right that some should go hungry while others throw away extortionate amounts of useable food. Preventing food waste is an objective the Government is working on, together with WRAP, food retailers and industry. I am pleased that Parliament had the opportunity to discuss the issue recently in a Westminster Hall debate.
Our local Waitrose store here in Bath updated me recently to inform me of their progress with regards to supermarket waste. They were delighted to inform me that eliminating food waste is a commercial, environmental and, above all, an ethical priority for Waitrose. In 2012, Waitrose achieved their aim of diverting all of their food waste from landfill. At the heart of this is a very clear and established food donation policy for Waitrose branches. This includes their Food Waste Reduction Process whereby food that is nearing the end of its shelf life is reduced to customers then our Partners (employees). Food that doesn’t sell but is still fit for human consumption is donated to local charities, with the remaining food sent for Anaerobic Digestion (AD) to generate energy.
Since 2013 Waitrose has partnered with the Trussell Trust to give their customers the opportunity to help vulnerable people at Christmas time by donating items at food collection points in our branches. In 2014, Waitrose further developed their relationship with the Trussell Trust food bank with the launch of permanent food bank collection points. The initiative helps provide local food banks with a steady and manageable supply of both food and non-food items, all year round. In 2014, Waitrose collections provided almost 65,000 meals to those in need across the UK.
Ministers have backed several rounds of the Courtauld Commitment, a voluntary agreement to limit waste, which 90 per cent of the food manufacturing and retailer sector have signed up to. As a result, domestic household food waste has already been reduced by 21 per cent, and food waste in the supply chain has reduced by 8 per cent. The process has also seen the amount of redistributed surplus food double between 2011 and 2013.
Separately, a voluntary agreement within the hospitality and food services industry was launched in 2012. Over 170 signatories and supporters have signed up to an ambitious set of targets both to reduce the amount of food waste they produce, and to manage it better by recycling and sending food for anaerobic digestion to produce energy.
The Government also continues to work closely with industry to help them forge closer links with redistribution charities across the whole supply chain. It is wrong that anyone should go hungry at the same time as surplus food is going to waste. Like you I was interested to hear about the new French policy of requiring supermarkets to donate food that would otherwise go to waste to charity. While I am not aware of any current plans to replicate it in this country I will be monitoring the situation as it develops.