4th Mar 2021 - 08:23
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Organisations across the food and drink sector have joined forces with WRAP for the inaugural Food Waste Action Week (1-7 March) to reduce food waste and curb the contribution it makes to climate change.
Marcus Gover, chief of WRAP, said: “Wasting food is a major cause of climate change – it generates more greenhouse gas emissions than all the commercial flights in the world.
“Food Waste Action Week gives organisations a unique opportunity to capture their audiences’ attention as part of a national event and help them to play their part in eliminating food being wasted and tackling climate change.
To reduce food waste Compass Group UK & Ireland has a three-pronged approach:
- Prevent food going unsold or uneaten
- Recover surplus food to help feed people in need
- Recycle food waste
Compass Group also runs its own awareness day, Stop Food Waste Day, which will take place on 28 April 2021.
Elsewhere across the industry companies, organisations and individuals have been taking part in the Food Waste Action Week:
- Simon MacDowall, divisional managing director of Civica: “We’re proud to pledge our support to Food Waste Action Week. Our work with WRAP will increase awareness of the part we can all play – not only to the organisations we support, but through encouraging all our employees to take part at home too.”
- Apetito has reinforced its commitment to wasting less food and in turn reducing the impact on our global environment. The company currently sends all its food waste to anaerobic digestion (which produces renewable energy and reduces greenhouse gasses).
- Defra Food Waste Champion Ben Elliot: “Food Waste Action Week is a key vehicle for raising awareness amongst the public, the food industry and the retail sector about just how much food is wasted every year, the impact it has on the planet, and how we can all help to tackle it.”
- Environment and Climate Change Secretary Roseanna Cunningham: “Scotland’s target to reduce food waste by 33% by 2025 was the first of its kind in Europe. It is something we can all do to support our precious natural environment and tackle climate change.”
- FareShare South West: “It's #FoodWasteActionWeek and we're proud to say that since March 2020, we've saved nearly 1000 tonnes of surplus food from going to waste!”
- Camden Council: “We’re encouraging everyone in Camden to help tackle wasted food and its impact on climate change.”
- Sainsbury’s: “Did you know that 70% of all wasted food in the UK is produced in our homes? It's time to take action and to help stop wasted food from feeding climate change #FoodWasteActionWeek.”