More than 100 of the biggest players in food, including Bidfood, Compass Group, Ocado and all the UK’s major supermarkets, have signed a pledge to take ground-breaking action to drive down food waste following a call to action from the government. They are committing to help halve food waste by 2030, and raise public awareness of the issue through a week of action.
The announcement comes after the government food surplus and waste champion Ben Elliott urged organisations to ‘Step up to the plate” at a symposium last month bringing together key players from various parts of the food industry for a day of targeted discussion and action.
Dave Lewis, Group CEO Tesco and Chair of Champions 12.3 said: “The announcement that over 100 UK food companies have signed up to the Step up to the Plate pledge is welcome news. The next step is for all signatories to publicly report their food waste data in line with Champions 12.3 best practice. This will be crucial for identifying hotspots for collective action; holding individual companies to account for the commitments they have made and for the UK delivering on Sustainable Development Goal 12.3.”
Earlier this year the government launched a £15 m to tackle food waste, building on its landmark Resources and Waste strategy which sets out how the government will introduce annual reporting of food surplus and waste by food businesses.
Environment Secretary Michael Gove has invited organisations to apply for the second round of over £6 million funding under the government’s scheme. The government is committed to supporting the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 12.3 to help halve food waste by 2030, report on progress and prioritise action.
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