Grocery retailers wasted 200,000 tonnes of food in 2013, according to new figures released by the BRC and WRAP UK today. However, the report claimed supermarkets were not the main issue, with the main emphasis actually falling on household waste.
The report follows a commitment by seven of the leading supermarket companies a year ago to publish annual figures showing how much food was wasted in supermarkets. The report stopped short of publishing individual figures, despite Tesco’s move to do so. Tesco called on its rivals to follow suit.
The report claimed that “contrary to popular belief, very little food waste comes from supermarkets and their depots.”
In 2013 only 1.3 per cent of all food waste came from the grocery retail industry, and of the 15 million tonnes of food thrown away in the UK every year, half was generated in the home. WRAP estimated that there had been a 10% reduction in food and drink waste by grocery retailers and manufacturers between 2007 and 2012.
“Our members are pleased to introduce new levels of transparency into the supply chain and today’s figures tell a positive story about the vast efforts grocery retailers have made to reduce their food waste to only 1.3 per cent of the total,” said Andrew Opie, BRC director of food and sustainability.
“At the same time we all need to continue to focus on where we can make the biggest reductions in food waste and that is in the supply chain and the home,” he added. “We have a huge contribution to make and will continue our work with suppliers and consumers to build on the progress we have already made.”
No comments yet