Food loss and waste is a huge issue for the UK’s food industry. In fact, one quarter of all food produced in the UK is never actually eaten, according to The Food Foundation1.
Food is costly to produce, both financially and environmentally, and our food waste bill amounts to £19 billion per year, and equating to 7% of the country’s annual greenhouse gas emissions1, writes Charlotte Slack, Head of Partnerships at Company Shop Group.
Meanwhile, the UK is experiencing a food poverty crisis with nearly 10 million adults and children living in households struggling to afford or access sufficient food which was revealed by The Food Foundation. This continues to push more and more people to seek out charity and state support. As a result, the number of food bank users has increased by over a third, rising from 2.3 million in 2022/23 to 3.1 million in 2023/24. So, in the context of the climate crisis and food insecurity in the UK, why do we produce, manufacture and sell food that never gets eaten? And why are we throwing good food away whilst so many people are going hungry?
In the UK, loss and waste occurs at every stage of the food value chain – on farms, during the manufacturing stage, when it’s sold, and in the home. We know it’s almost impossible to produce food without an element of waste; so much so this is actually factored into food prices. Businesses have made huge strides in efforts to reduce their waste but there’s more to be done.
Unfortunately, there’s no silver bullet to solve food waste. At the farm level, waste can be attributed to weather, pests, disease, low market prices or high labour costs. During the manufacturing process, it could be misprinted labels, faulty packaging or an allergen contaminant. But whilst there isn’t one simple answer to stopping food waste, it doesn’t have to be an inevitability; there are many pragmatic, easy-to-implement steps for businesses that can be taken to reduce the volume of waste occurring at each stage of the chain.
How can we reduce food loss and waste?
The Courtauld Commitment 2030 is an important step towards reducing food loss and waste in the UK. It’s a voluntary agreement encouraging collaborative action to reduce food waste in the UK and delivering a 50% absolute reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. The government’s food and drink waste hierarchy sets out steps to prevent and manage food waste, but needs to be accompanied by mandatory food waste reporting.
Despite promising efforts, there is still work to be done in terms of government policy when it comes to surplus. We have been at the forefront of organic waste reduction efforts for many years, identifying harder to reach surplus higher up the supply chain with our manufacturing and surplus specialists. We know from working with our partners that when they have greater visibility of their surplus and waste, this is when they are able to make the strongest improvements in both reducing waste at source and finally identifying sustainable solutions to redistribute their surplus. Without mandated action, progress is likely to be too slow but it’s imperative any mandatory reporting is within a realistic timescale and signposting is available for the full range of solutions in order to move towards a more transparent food industry, one committed to equity and sustainability.
Why are leading charities calling for an end to food banks?
A seemingly straightforward solution to food waste and food poverty is simply to donate surplus food directly to those who need it most. Communities, charities and organisations across the UK are working to bridge the gap between food surplus and the citizens who need it, acting as intermediaries by providing emergency food parcels via food banks, schools and discounted stores. Whilst well intentioned, saving good food from going to waste and helping to feed those in need, this approach acts as a temporary solution to the food waste and food insecurity crises and can’t be seen as the new normal.
Although food banks remain a vital lifeline, especially for those affected by the cost-of-living crisis, in the long-term, we need a sustainable and scalable system which addresses food poverty at its root. By tackling the immediate need for access to food we can move away from short-term dependency through the delivery of longer-term financial, educational, training and wellbeing support.
Whilst donating food to food banks helps bridge the gap between surplus and hunger, it doesn’t provide long term solutions to tackle the root causes of food insecurity in the first place. We must go deeper to address the food insecurity at its core through policy solutions and holistic support.
Addressing surplus at its source through innovation and pragmatic solutions
As we’ve seen, tackling food waste at source requires a root and branch approach by reducing the level of surplus stock to begin with. And when surplus occurs, there are pragmatic solutions for businesses to redistribute to people first. These could be as simple as having designated surplus bins on the end of a production line as well as a standard waste bins, requiring minimal financial investment by businesses. Beyond these straightforward solutions, Company Shop Group have the technology and operational resources to re-label misprints, re-package and even carry out additional checks such as x-ray and metal detection, making the process of redistribution simple, effective and of minimal disruption for businesses. Finally, our nationwide distribution network provides a fast and efficient solution, meaning we can redistribute short shelf-life products freeing up valuable space and reducing storage costs. We believe our approach helps us on our journey towards a food system that is fit for the future to help businesses reduce waste and ensures that if it’s fit to be eaten, used or worn, it fulfils its potential as originally intended.
While food banks and redistribution efforts are important, alone, those approaches cannot solve food poverty and food waste in the UK. Systemic transformation is needed throughout our food system to address causes of waste at its source and to enhance food security through social transformation and policy action.
By fostering collaboration across sectors, companies like Company Shop Group are addressing food insecurity tackling its root causes and, in the process, reducing food waste. We create value for people, value for the planet and value for our stock partners through community outreach, waste reduction and surplus redistribution. Explore our surplus solutions and if you have one, share your surplus problem so that we can find solutions together.
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