This panel event, organised by Cambridge Global Food Security and Cambridge Infectious Diseases IRC, looked at how consumers, industry and regulators can reduce food waste, with a particular focus on the role of labelling. Please find the event recording here.
Speakers: Caroline Conroy, Sustainability Sector Specialist, WRAP
Chris Meadows, Marketing and Communications Director, Company Shop Group
Rebecca Sudworth, Director of Policy, Food Standards AgencyChair: Professor Yasemin Kor, Judge Business School, University of Cambridge
Food waste is a huge problem in the UK; we throw away about 40% of the food available to us and of that 40%, 70% of that is wasted at home. A major cause for this high level of consumer waste is due to food “not being used in time” – this includes things like relying on date labels (‘Use-by’ or ‘Best Before’) for disposal decisions as well items “going off” before we get a chance to consume them.
In her work at WRAP, Caroline Conway focusses on what can be done in the retail environment to reduce and prevent food waste at home. WRAP produces best practice labelling guidance documents aimed at retailers and manufacturers, to enable and empower consumers to buy what they need, use all of what they buy and keep it at its best at home.and as a consequence waste less food. As well as working with industry, WRAP keeps consumers informed via the love food hate waste website and the annual Food Waste Action Week (6th – 12th March 2023). Their mission, put simply, is to make people realise how valuable food is and how to be more resourceful with it in order to waste less.
Rebecca Sudworth explained the FSA’s role, both in representing the interests of consumers and in regulating all stages of the production cycle. Food quality regulation has an effect on the cost of food, and also on its environmental impact. For example, taking into account how farmers and distributors can distinguish between crops fit for human consumption, and those that have to be discarded. They also research how people approach food preparation and handling in the home.
Rebecca acknowledged that people find the different dates on food packaging confusing, but stressed that use-by dates have an important safety function, whereas best before dates are about quality. There is pressure for more and more information on labels, to give nutritional and environmental information, but there is only so much ‘work’ a label can do. She pointed out the need for caution in changing familiar labelling such as the use-by date. Any change of this sort will involve re-educating people.
Chris Meadows explained how the Company Shop Group redistribute surplus food from manufacturers and retailers through their 14 super stores and 10 community shops, resulting in the production of the equivalent of 82 million meals. The Group works at the heart of the supply chain with retailers, manufacturers, and food businesses to identify where waste occurs in the supply chain, and where possible, to prevent it.
He pointed out that seeing unused food as surplus, rather than as waste, incentivises people to see its potential, so that rather than being thrown away, more of it can be consumed, which is especially important now with many households feeling the effects of the cost-of-living crisis .
Asked by the audience for tips on reducing food waste at home, all panel members made useful suggestions, and said that more could be found on their websites (see links below).
Summing up the speakers made it clear that change is possible, and that while consumers are at the end of the food chain, when it comes to reducing food waste, behaviour change begins at home.
Useful Links:
IDAFLW Research debrief (wrap.org.uk)
Impact of more effective use of the fridge and freezer
Development of best practice on food date labelling and storage advice | WRAP
Food you can trust - FSA Strategy 2022-2027 | Food Standards Agency