Supermarkets have been accused of “dumping” tonnes of damaged, out of date or nutritionally inadequate food on food redistribution charities and using them as a “waste collection service”.
New research published today by environmental charity Feedback Global claims charities are being deluged with large quantities of unusable and rotten food and left to foot the bill for disposal.
It found more than 90% of food aid workers had discarde donated food, most commonly because it was damaged or inedible.
Some food banks reported as much as 50% of the food they received from supermarkets ended up being wasted. Some 85% of workers reported feeling frustrated, angry or sad when they received donated items they could not use or redistribute.
Feedback received responses from more than 50 food banks, food pantries, community hubs and other aid organisations. Those that received surplus food mainly from supermarkets, wholesalers and other redistribution bodies were mostly likely to be throwing 10% or more of it away.
Supermarkets donating mouldy food
The report describes fruit and vegetables arriving at warehouses already mouldy and rotting, with large quantities of bread that cannot be stored and has to be thrown away.
The respondents gave examples of 5kg bags of pasta, 3kg crates of salad, 10kg of crème fraiche, 12kg bags of flour, 15kg bags of rice, and 25kg sacks of vegetables that had to be prepared or repackaged.
The current legal framework requires food aid organisations to label repackaged food in detail, including ingredients, allergens, and use-by dates, if it is to be used to feed people in need.
“The burden of guilt of throwing it away is passed on from the companies with wasteful policies,” one respondent said.
One community hub added: “We sometimes get food approaching perishability, so have to turn it around asap – sometimes we manage it.”
Others reported having to discard a large proportion.
“As a food bank we can only distribute ambient foods,” said one respondent. “We are forced to throw away or give away chilled or fresh food because we cannot transport it and maintain the chill chain. Supermarkets insist we take everything in one go. We cannot take just the bread so we are forced to take food we cannot use.”
The respondent estimated having to discard 50% of the food the organisation received, despite informing the retailer it could not accept foods that needed refrigeration.
Another said they were “frustrated that we are there for companies to feel good they have not thrown anything away”.
The report also details food banks receiving a “massive quantity of tiny sachets of miso”, “a load of brandy flavoured cream in the summer”, “thousands of packet sauces from HelloFresh” and “six frozen turkeys stuck together”.
Food waste cover-up
A respondent from a small food pantry said they were “angry that we now need to pay for disposal, yet the shops can still claim to have donated such a large amount to charity”.
Another, from a medium-sized community hub, said: “A banana delivery turned out to be rotten and ruined the carpet, costing £375 to clean.”
The report, titled ‘Used By: How businesses dump their waste on food charities’, goes on to claim food redistribution is not the solution to food waste or food poverty.
It says food businesses must take responsibility for the time and cost of disposing of their own waste, rather than passing it on to volunteers and community organisations.
Feedback Global is calling on the government set up a new whistleblowing mechanism for workers to report when bad-quality food is repeatedly passed on to them.
It has also urged the government to introduce a previously promised policy of mandatory reporting of food waste for large and medium-sized companies, and set up a new levy to charge retailers based on their figures.
“The redistribution of food is quite clearly not the answer to tackling either food waste or food poverty in the UK,” said Feedback Global deputy director Jessica Sinclair Taylor.
“Our research shows that – despite the heroic efforts of food aid employees – food donated by businesses is often damaged, expired, nutritionally inadequate and ends up never being eaten.
“We need to stop kidding ourselves that food poverty can be solved by food waste and vice-versa, and start addressing the root causes of both to the benefit of people and planet.”
Andrew Opie, director of food and sustainability at the BRC, said: “Retailers take food waste seriously and demonstrate their commitment through challenging initiatives such as the Food Waste Reduction Roadmap, aligning with UN Sustainable Development Goals.
“We have consistently called for mandatory food waste reporting for some time to ensure the whole chain shares and supports our ambition.
“Where they can’t prevent waste in store, they are maximising food distribution through charities such as FareShare, including changing labels around best-before dates to ensure edible food is not thrown out, in order to reduce food waste for themselves and their customers.”
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