Industry on target to cut food waste

Tesco’s decision to become the first retailer to publish food waste figures​ also highlighted the efforts of its peers. Now the FDF has confirmed the progress of its work with processor members ahead of reports to be published later this year.

FDF members were on target to help reduce ingredient, product and packaging waste in the grocery supply chain by 3% by 2015 from a 2012 baseline, said FDF environment policy manager David Bellamy.

The goal was part of the FDF’s Five-Fold Ambition to contribute significantly to the Waste & Resources Action Programme’s (WRAP) Courtauld Commitment Phase 3, he told FoodManufacture.co.uk.

‘A further option’​

“FDF is also working with WRAP on ways to increase the amount of food sent for redistribution,”​ Bellamy added. “When food is unable to stay in the human food chain a further option is to consider whether it can be used to feed livestock subject to safety and quality requirements ...​

“Where this cannot be achieved our members tend to look to recover or recycle value from the material.”​

WRAP data for the first two years of the Courtauld Commitment Phase 2 agreement shows signatories slashed the weight of supply chain product and packaging waste by 8.2% since 2009, he said. That exceeded the three-year 5% target.

Savings of 1.2Mt of waste​

The results have built on savings of 1.2Mt of food and packaging waste under Courtauld Phase 1.

FDF had contributed to the development of the Joint Food Wastage Declaration ‘Every Crumb Counts’, launched in June by European counterpart FoodDrinkEurope, together with European food chain organisations, Bellamy claimed.

And it was working on various household waste initiatives, he said.