By Wisha Limbu
A shelf of canned foods at Tesco.
Picture by: Wisha Limbu
Food waste is a widespread issue that affects people all over the world, including in the United Kingdom. For the sake of the environment, the economy, and social well-being, it is critical to address the issue of food waste as the country struggles. Feedback, a food-focused environmental advocacy group based in the United Kingdom and Netherlands, identifies food reduction as key to tackling to climate and ecological emergencies.
According to the United Nations, an estimated 13% of food produced is either lost between retail and harvest while around 17% of total global food production is wasted in households, food service industry and in retail. There is a massive need for food systems to be sustainable to be resilient and as a result, there is an urgent need to focus on reducing food waste and loss.
The Environment Act 2021 was passed in November 2021 with food waste disposals regulations to be changed for major businesses and households. With the enactment of this major legislation, the British government has been trying to address the issue of food waste.
Food Waste in The United Kingdom
Food waste has long plagued the United Kingdom and has shown how serious the problem is and how big the effects are. It includes throwing away edible food at any point during its life, from production to consumption. It also includes food waste that cannot be prevented such as whole and partially consumed food items, leftovers, and unsold or expired food items. Food waste is separated into two categories, pre-consumer and post-consumer.
Pre-consumer food waste refers to food wasted before it reaches the consumer. It occurs at different points in the food supply chain, such as during the manufacturing, processing, distribution and retail phases. Unsold or expired food in retail stores and food service establishments, as well as faulty or damaged produce that is thrown away during harvesting or sorting, is considered as pre-consumer food waste.
Fresh produce stocked up daily with the items where people can buy products without the concern of items being spoiled or damaged. The supermarket is the place where both quality and quantity is guaranteed.
Customers at Tesco Hook looking at produce.
Picture by: Wisha Limbu
One of the causes of pre-consumer food waste is due to the improper handling and storage practices by retail stores. According to the British government, in 2017, the total amount of surplus food in the retail and food manufacturing being wasted amounted to 205,000 tonnes.
Amanda Kent, manager at Tesco Hook, clarified, “The typical shelf life for food items is within five days. The food waste that is generally generated at the end of the day is only things that have been damaged or they have been opened, making them not fit for sale.”
On the other hand, post-consumer food waste refers to food that is thrown out or wasted by customers after it has been purchased and eaten This includes food that has been thrown out because it was overbought or stored improperly, as well as leftovers from meals and rotten or expired food. Food waste that has been consumed is produced at cafeterias, restaurants, homes, and other consumer environments.
Another major source of post-consumer food waste is the consumer behaviour. A recent from Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) reveals that 45%of respondents say they are throwing out at least as much food each week as they did at this time last year with fresh food such as vegetables and fruits being amongst the most.
Vegetables and fruits are perishable food items with a short shelf life. If not handled or stored correctly, they are vulnerable to deterioration, bruising, and spoiling. As a result, consumers might throw them away if they start to go soft, mouldy, or overripe. According to WRAP, the majority of food waste comes from household waste with a 70%.
Impacts of Food Waste
With such large amounts of food being wasted, the implications of it affects both economically and environmentally. Research conducted by WRAP and The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimates that food waste accounts for 8–10% of all man-made greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, with 25–30% of all food produced lost or wasted worldwide.
WRAP also reported that the United Kingdom generates an estimated 9.5 million tonnes of food waste annually, with a value of approximately £19 billion. Through decomposition, the £19 billion worth of food that is decaying in UK landfills produces 25 million tonnes of greenhouse gases (GHGs).
Furthermore, the process through which food that has gone bad gets stacked high in landfills and decomposes without getting any oxygen emits significant amounts of methane, which traps greenhouse gases twenty times more than carbon dioxide and is also produced during anaerobic decomposition. The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations estimates that 3.3 gigatons of greenhouse gases are released into the atmosphere worldwide as a result of food decay.
Apart from food waste harming the world directly, it also harms the pockets of consumers economically. Food waste also practically results in the waste of the money used to buy the food. Over time, this accumulates and strains household finances eventually lowering people’s and families’ ability to buy.
Through joint research conducted by WRAP and Edelman, it was found that five in ten households cut back on the amount spent on shopping for groceries each week. In addition, food bills rank among the most challenging expenses to reduce, with 60% of households reporting that they find it harder to save money on food bills than on housing expenses.
Government Policies and Local Initiatives
There are several key provisions in the Environment Act 2021. According to the British Government, the waste segregation mandate is also extended to the commercial sector by the legislation.
It is now mandatory for businesses, such as grocery stores, restaurants, and food manufacturers, to separate their food waste from other kinds of waste. This policy aims to encourage companies to use efficient waste management techniques.
Located in Aldershot, Rushmoor Borough County, is the county in charge of local affairs. The county has launched a recycling and food waste campaign on social media.
Julie Mundy, an officer for Rushmoor Borough County, explained the process. “The policy was communicated to household by direct communication through door knocking, leaflets advising the service was going to come and then again when the equipment was delivered; through social media channels and public engagement events.”
“Our initial modelling anticipated that we would collect around 40 tonnes of food waste a week but both tonnage and participation have been much higher which we have taken a success. It was advantageous that we changed from weekly to fortnightly collections of general waste at the same time as introducing the weekly food waste service.”
Mundy further details how Rushmoor has been able to alleviate the environmental impact in the collection of general waste since bins are collected only on alternate weeks and added that 2,940 tonnes of food waste were collected and sent for anaerobic digestion instead of energy recovery.
Recognised as the solution to dealing with food waste, anaerobic digestion is an environmentally friendly ways to recycle food waste. This process has also been adopted in the United Kingdom and turns food waste into renewable energy such as electricity and heat.
Food waste in one bin, carton and glass in another bin and general trash in one bin. Anita Sambangphe, a resident living in Aldershot, makes sure to segregate her waste every week after seeing posts on waste collecting on social media.
“We have always practised separating waste since we live in the UK but after seeing how they do weekly food waste pickups has made me more conscious of how much food we waste.”
Another local initiative tackling food waste is through food donation. According to Environmental Secretary Michael Grove, an estimated 100,000 tonnes of readily available and perfectly edible food thrown from United Kingdom’s food and retail industry is wasted.
Tesco, one of United Kingdom’s largest supermarkets with over 2,000 stores, partnered with FareShare, a charity promoting awareness of food waste. The Winter Food Donation is an in-store donation lasting for two to three days in local supermarkets.
Locals are invited to donate canned food items to the Winter Food Donation such as UHT milk, tinned meat or meals sponge or rice pudding or drinks ranging from coffee to long-life juice. Ram Kumar, a local from Hook, donated for the first time.
“It’s a tough time when people don’t have food on their table. I think the Winter Food Donation is a great initiative where people get to help the community by donating and struggling people get to have food for Christmas.”
“It’s nice to see how different organisations are doing their part in reducing food waste. I did not know about the Winter Food Donation until today when I saw the board and shopping cart filled with food. This makes me realise not to take my food for granted,” he said.
Future Outlook
Although out of all European Union nations, the United Kingdom is the first to have met the half-way point towards achieving SDG Target 12.3, a pledge for halving food waste by 2023. It was recognised for this accomplishment with an honourable mention in Champions 12.3 Food Loss and Waste: 2020 Progress Report.
Sustainable Development Goals are goals set up by the United Nations for the world to attain a better and more sustainable future. With a total of 17 SDGs, the United Nations
The Food Waste Legislation 2023 makes a significant step in striving towards a better sustainable environment and economy. By requiring waste segregation on all non-household premises, the legislation encourages both people and businesses to take responsibility for the waste generated and to play a role in reducing food waste as well.
Despite the amount of food waste, the United Kingdom generates, the country has been making continuous progress when it comes to reducing food waste. Charities emerging with the mission to combat food waste and have partnered with local supermarkets to spread the message and alleviate the waste generated.
With WRAP, the Food Waste Reduction Roadmap aims to 50% reduction in food loss and waste for all major food businesses. Through ‘Target, Measure, Act’, an initiative under Roadmap, large businesses are to be committed to set a food waste reduction target for the United Kingdom operations, measure and share in a consistent way and to take action to reduce food waste.
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Another perspective through video