Free lunches handed out to highlight food waste

This article was originally printed in The Independent - http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/green-living/free-lunches-handed-out-to-highlight-food-waste-1842653.html

With countries stalling over policies in Copenhagen, one easy way to cut down on emissions seems rather obvious - eat food more carefully. Recent estimations show that 10 per cent of the worlds richest countries greenhouse gas emissions come from growing food which is never eaten.

Speaking today at the 'Feeding the 5000' event in Trafalgar Square, London, leading food waste campaigner Tristram Stuart teamed up with charities to highlight the global problems with food waste and demonstrate some practical ways to solve it.

'Food is a basic human need but 1 billion people in the world are malnourished' he said. 'Even in the UK there are 4 million people unable to afford a healthy diet. There is plenty in the world, yet the amount of waste at every level of the system means many still go without. What we're showing here is that the easiest solution to this problem is quite simply to eat it. This isn't just about showing people how to save money, its about showing everyone how we can help protect the environment.'

The ingredients used in the feast were collected from local traders. Most was either excess stock or had been deemed unsellable due to irregular shape or size. With this volunteers worked from early in the morning to provide enough free curries, fruit bags and smoothies for five thousand passers-by.

The other food used was donated having passed its sell-by dates. Confusion over date labelling on food is estimated to result in 400,000 tonnes of food being thrown into landfill each year. Hilary Benn MP, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has called for supermarkets and food manufacturers to scrap the use of best-before and sell-by dates on food packaging.

He said, 'Thousands of tonnes are being thrown unnecessarily into landfill. There it converts in greenhouse gases and adds to the climate problem. Its not just costing us money, it's costing us the earth.'

Speaking on this, Mr Stuart told the Independent, 'politicians like Mr Benn have the right ideas on food waste, they just seem to lack the power to enforce them upon the supermarkets.'

the best-before mythology

In the UK, nearly 400,000 tonnes of food is misguidedly thrown away each year after passing its best-before date. In monetary figures this amounts to £424 worth of food being thrown away by each adult.And despite all the information being thrown at the public to use materials more efficiently, the situation appears to be getting worse. According to WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Programme) domestic waste is increasing each year by 1-2% and overall there is an estimated 5.4 million tonnes of food thrown away in Britain each year.

Hilary Benn MP, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is calling for supermarkets and food manufacturers to scrap the use of best-before and sell-by dates on food packaging. In an interview with Roses for Arcadie Mr Benn MP spelt out the seriousness of the problem and stated the first step to reducing waste is to educate society to 'reduce less and recycle more.'

'It's about changing attitudes' he said, 'Millions of tonnes are going to landfill and there it converts into greenhouse gases and adds to the climate problem. It's not just costing us money; it's costing us the earth.'

'One of the things we need to do is think about why customers are confused by labelling on food. Use-by dates are a necessity as they are about food safety, but best-before and sell-by are more about food quality and are there to help stores manage stock effectively.'

Campaigners assert that supermarkets are in favour of the current system as the more food that gets wasted by the consumer means the more they are likely spend. The big retailers are however beginning to show some responsibility in combating the issue. Recent experiments at Sainsbury’s and Tesco have piloted a 'buy one now, get one later' initiative where customers receive a coupon at the checkout and return to the store at a later date to collect the second item.

Food waste will never go away, it is a natural outcome of modern society. But for Mr Benn MP finding alternatives to landfill is key to for a more sustainable future. 'I don't want to see us any more plough waste into landfill. An increasing number of local authorities are now collecting food waste and turning it into compost. Really usefully though you can turn it into renewable energy - biogas and electricity.'

'I shall be consulting just after Christmas to moving to fate where then after we will no longer put food waste into landfill as it doesn't make sense.'

To listen to the interview in full click here