UK retailers making ‘good progress’ in tackling food waste
A new report by the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) has revealed that the UK’s retailers are doing well in terms of reducing waste.
A new report by the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) has revealed that the UK’s retailers are doing well in terms of reducing waste. Household food waste has decreased by 13 per cent in the last three years and although this can be partially attributed to the recession, it is also likely due to the initiatives undertaken by retailers.
A survey analysed 12,000 products over 20 categories where food waste is typically high. This includes staple foods like bread and dairy products. Strategies used to decrease waste in these areas include increasing the availability of smaller packs and utilising re-sealable packaging, which can increase the lifespan of the food.
Labelling schemes have also been praised, where retailers have pointed out the definitions of ‘best before’, ‘use before’ and ‘display until’ labels, which have notoriously been somewhat ambiguous.
"Today's report points to some great progress," said one of WRAP’s directors Richard Swannell "The steps retailers and manufacturers have been taking have made an important contribution towards helping reduce the amount of food we buy and waste." WRAP estimates food waste to cost around £12 billion per year and releases 17 million tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere.
Despite the progress WRAP maintains there is much more retailers can do to improve the situation. "There are areas where we think retailers could continue to make improvements – for example, by removing 'display until' dates, increasing consistency of 'use by' or 'best before' date use and ensuring that consumers are given as long as possible to make use of the food. Increasing the proportion of products that carry freezing and defrosting guidance and the use of 'freeze before date mark' labels could also make a big difference."
Of course, this can only make some difference; culture change and educating the public on food waste is essential to reducing waste. Just yesterday the Chartered Institute of Waste Management said levels of food waste in the UK were a ‘disgrace’. Excessive packaging is also a target for emissions and waste reduction and solely down to retailers and producers.