Defra is pondering ways to encourage food businesses to donate more surplus food to charities.
Food and farming minister Jim Paice (pictured) said the department was looking at all barriers to redistribution, including legal concerns.
Defra’s minister for sustainable development, Lord Taylor of Holbeach, has written to the Prime Minister’s adviser on health and safety to consider “how health and safety can be reviewed” to encourage more food donations.
“The government strongly supports redistribution of surplus food to charities such as FareShare and FoodCycle and hopes that more firms will choose to donate suitable surplus food rather than send it for disposal,” Paice said in a written answer to the House of Commons. “Many do so already, though only a fraction of the available food is currently donated.”
The issue of food donations was raised in the Commons by Labour MP Kerry McCarthy, who asked if Defra would introduce legislative proposals based on the US Good Samaritan Food Donation Act, which protects food donors who have donated food in good faith from civil and criminal liability.
Paice said Defra’s current examination would “determine the way forward”, adding that Defra would need to work with charities and food manufacturers to lower any barriers identified during its review.
A spokeswoman could not say when the investigation would be concluded but said Defra was looking to work with businesses and charities to address any issues “as soon as possible”.
In March, McCarthy put forward a food waste bill calling for a UK equivalent to the Good Samaritan Food Donation Act in the US and for large supermarkets and food manufacturers to be legally obliged to donate surplus food to charities.
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