Speaking at the Global Summit of the Consumer Goods Forum in Cape Town on Wednesday (June 15), Lewis urged businesses – Including food manufacturers – to be more transparent about how much food they waste.
Cutting time out of the supply chain was key to reducing food waste, claimed Lewis, and would also provide consumers with fresher produce that lasted longer.
“When I arrived at Tesco, we were the only UK retail company to publish our food waste data,” Lewis claimed.
“What the data shows is that it’s clear where we need to focus our efforts. Nearly three years after we announced it, we are still the only UK retailer publishing our data.”
‘Only UK retailer’
Lewis also called on companies to do more to redistribute their surplus edible food waste to people in need.
He also talked about Tesco’s ‘Perfectly Imperfect’ range of produce that reduced food waste by widening specifications to take more of the crop.
In response to Lewis’s claims, Food and Drink Federation (FDF) corporate affairs director Tim Rycroft told FoodManufacture.co.uk its members were working hard to reduce avoidable food waste across the whole supply chain.
He said: “While the majority of food waste arises from the home, industry recognises the need to lead by example.
Food waste priority
“Our first priority must be to reduce food waste, we recognise that. Where surpluses are unavoidable, these can be redistributed to help address food shortages.
“FDF will continue to work with our partners to ensure that, wherever appropriate, surplus food can be used to make a positive difference.”
Meanwhile, a new global food waste standard aimed at saving consumers and the food industry money, while alleviating pressure on natural resources, has been described as a “breakthrough” by its backers.
The ‘Food loss and waste accounting and reporting standard’ was launched at the Global Green Growth Forum 2016 Summit in Copenhagen on June 6.