London, 7 July 2008: The topic of food waste again received national mass media coverage today, including the national BBC TV News. This scale of interest is always welcome to the waste industry and follows the publication by the Cabinet Office of its ten month project which looked at food policy.
The report, Food Matters - Towards a 21st Century Strategy, concludes that rising demand, climate change, and trade and productivity restrictions must all be addressed, as part of food policy.
The Prime Minister commissioned the Cabinet Office report on food policy, launched today.
The report, commissioned by Prime Minister - Gordon Brown, focuses on food issues in the UK, yet puts them in a global context. Food shortages globally and the influence of biofuels on food supply have been also been the subject of Government statements today.
The report draws together evidence about long-term trends in food production and consumption, as well as looking at possible impacts on UK health from food safety and nutrition issues.
The Prime Minister, Gordon Brown said:
“The rise of popular interest in food policy issues, and growing public awareness of the impact of what we choose to eat on everything from animal welfare, to our health and the protection of the environment has seen a massive transformation in Britain's food culture over the past ten years. This cultural change, along with more recent events in global food markets, has brought new and urgent policy challenges to the fore, which governments must act to meet.
Report findings
The report found that world-wide food output must rise to feed a growing and wealthier population. The World Bank estimates that cereal production needs to increase by a massive 50% and meat production by an even higher 80% between 2000 and 2030 - all in the context of climate change and diminishing global resources, including water.
However cutting waste would help, as in the developing world up to 40% of food harvested can be lost due to problems with storage and distribution, and in the UK consumers waste £10 billion worth of food each year, according to the report.
The report found that half of the food eaten in the UK is home-grown, with nearly 70% of the rest coming from within the EU.
In addition the food chain produces 18% of UK greenhouse gas emissions with farming and fishing contribute around half of this total. Changes to farming practices, such as more efficient use of fertiliser and providing animals with diets that specifically match their nutrient requirements could reduce emissions from agriculture.
In accordance with the earlier findings of WRAP (Waste and Resource Action Programme), a third of the food bought for home consumption is wasted at around 6.7 million tonnes, costing the average UK family £420 a year.
The report says that eliminating the unnecessary greenhouse gas emissions that this wasted food produces, would be equivalent to taking one in five cars off UK roads. By using 60% of food thrown away by households, enough energy could be generated to provide power for all the homes in Glasgow and Edinburgh.
A range of recommendations are made in the Cabinet Office report, which itself can be downloaded from the website of the Cabinet Office.
The Prime Minister continued:
“Recent food price increases are a powerful reminder that access to ever more affordable food cannot be taken for granted, and it is the family finances of the poorest in our society that are hit hardest when food prices rise. But the principal food security challenge for the UK is a global one. We cannot deal with higher food prices in the UK in isolation from higher prices around the world. Attempting to pursue national food security in isolation from the global context is unlikely to be practicable, sustainable or financially rational.
“So to tackle higher prices both here in Britain and in developing countries, where food often accounts for more than half a family's spending, we will continue to play a leading role in combating instability in commodity markets and building a more resilient global food chain, as well as maintaining a supportive environment for competitive UK food producers. If food production in Africa and elsewhere in the developing world reached its potential, global food output would be much higher, far fewer people would go hungry and the threat of food-related political and social instability around the world would recede.”
As a first step, the Department for the Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (Defra) will shortly be publishing a paper entitled ‘Ensuring the UK's Food Security in a Globalised World’. This report will set out the key factors which affect food supply and pricing, and encourages discussion with stakeholders including producers and retailers about ensuring long-term food security.
The report commits the Government to consulting the public and stakeholders on many of its conclusions. DEFRA is to lead these consultations which should be completed by Autumn 2009. Annual reports of progress against the report's recommendations will be published in Summer 2009 and 2010.
Other comments
Liz Goodwin, CEO, (Waste & Resources Action Programme) WRAP:
“It is great news that the Government is taking a joined-up approach to food policy.
“We believe it is vital that we tackle the amount of good food that we are wasting – as it hits the environment and our pockets. In WRAP’s recent report – The Food We Waste – we highlighted that of the £10bn of food we throw away, £6bn worth is unused or untouched. This includes 1.3m yoghurts - which would fill seven double decker buses every day.”
“An average household throws out £420 of good food a year but for the average family with children it’s even higher at £610. In a time of soaring food prices this makes no sense at all.
“What is more, stopping this food waste could avoid 18m tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents from being emitted each year – the same as taking 1 in 5 cars off UK roads.
“WRAP is working with members of the public via its Love Food Hate Waste campaign. So far, according to our research, 3.5m households have taken action on tackling food waste. Anyone wanting to join them and save money should visit www.lovefoodhatewaste.com.”
David Singh, managing director of Global Renewables, commented:
"Although Global Renewables welcomes Gordon Brown's proposals to cut down on household food waste, the Government still has to address the issues that food disposal presents. Food waste sent to landfill in England and Wales each year creates a 'methane footprint' more harmful than three million flights to New York. If the Government is tackling food consumption it also needs to look at the environmental damage from waste and have a joined up strategy.
Partner Michael Grimes from international law firm Eversheds said:
"The drive for sustainability by this and future governments is unlikely to go away. Some years ago when business conditions were tough the phrase 'the new reality' was coined. The drive for a considered use of resources is another new reality and is here to stay. Food waste is just one element of that but an important one."