Anti-food waste organisation Too Good To Go, in partnership with the British Retail Consortium, has published an open letter signed by over 30 leading companies from the UK’s food, retail, and manufacturing sectors, advocating for mandatory public food waste reporting.
Signatories of the letter – addressed to Steve Barclay, Secretary of State for the Department of Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs – include Aldi, Marks & Spencer, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Waitrose, Winnow, and more.
With more than a third of all food produced going to waste, the urgency of tackling food waste is recognised across the food sector. Food waste contributes 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions, and pre and post farm gate food waste costs the UK economy £21.8 billion every year.
While acknowledging the progress made under the Courtauld Commitment and other initiatives, the companies emphasise the necessity of mandatory reporting to drive meaningful change and encourage more action to be taken across the industry – through more data-driven strategies, driving efficiencies, and fostering collaboration and economic growth.
“We’re delighted to see the strong level of industry support for the introduction of mandatory food waste reporting”, says 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 & Sustainability at the BRC, adds, “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 that the system works for all stakeholders, and that it aligns across the four UK nations.”
Marc Zornes, CEO and founder Winnow, comments, “The business and environmental case for food waste is clear. Put simply, we can’t manage what we don’t measure. If we are to have any chance of halving food waste by 2030, we need urgent action which is why Winnow supports this letter.”
Liz Fox, National Sustainability Director at Aldi UK, says: “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.”Dominik Klauser, Regenerative Agriculture Director, SAI Platform and chair of the External Advisory Board for the Farmer Innovation Fund, said: “We need to see more investment in supporting farmers on their journey towards de-risking and embracing regenerative farming practices. It’s great to see businesses like innocent drinks committing to support the farmers within their supply chain to make this transition.”
Visit toogoodtogo.com and brc.org.uk.
Open Letter Signatories:
Abel and Cole
Aldi
Bidfood
Booths
Compass Group UK&I
Compleat Group
Cook Trading
Danone
Gousto
Innocent Drinks
LettUs Grow
Lidl
Marks & Spencer
Neighbourly
Nestle
Ocado
Oddbox
One Stop
Princes
Quorn
Rubies in the Rubble
Sainsbury’s
Samworth Brothers
Tesco
The Co-op
Toast Ale
Waitrose
Wells and Co
Winnow
YO! Sushi / Snowfox
Yoplait
