Food waste: top companies call for mandatory reporting

By David Shrimpton in Featured, Industry News 18th March 2024

Anti-food waste app Too Good To Go, in partnership with the British Retail Consortium (BRC), has released an open letter signed by more than 30 companies from the UK’s food, retail and manufacturing sectors calling for mandatory public food waste reporting.

Signatories of the letter, addressed to environment secretary Steve Barclay, include One Stop, Aldi, Marks & Spencer, Lidl, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Waitrose.

The companies say mandatory reporting is needed to “drive meaningful change” and encourage more action to be taken across the industry through more data-driven strategies.

“We’re delighted to see the strong level of industry support for the introduction of mandatory food waste reporting,” said Jamie Crummie, co-founder of Too Good To Go.

“The stark reality is that a staggering 40% of all food produced globally goes to waste. In 2024 there is no room for half-hearted measures or commitments a decade away.

“The government has an opportunity to lead the way in the fight against food waste by introducing mandatory food waste reporting and we hope it will seize this chance.”

Andrew Opie, director of food and sustainability at the BRC, said: “Mandatory food waste reporting is a key step in reducing food waste, helping retailers to understand their waste hotspots and where surplus food can be redistributed.

“While most retailers already report voluntarily through WRAP’s Food Waste Reduction Roadmap, mandatory reporting will enable greater transparency across the supply chain.

“Retailers will continue to engage with the government to ensure the system works for all stakeholders, and that it aligns across the four UK nations.”

Liz Fox, national sustainability director at Aldi UK, said: “It is important that we tackle the critical issue of food waste as an industry, and mandatory food waste reporting would be a significant step forward in doing just that.

“Food waste reporting, and analysing opportunities for improvements, has already helped us achieve one of our food waste targets early – and allowed us to be even bolder in setting a new waste-reduction goal.”

Open letter signatories: