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CAMPAIGN

We, at STWC, have officially launched a petition to UK Parliament and we need your help.

PLEASE HELP US IN MEETING OUR DEMANDS 

SAVE

the

FOOD

Food

THE CHANGE WE WANT:

Require supermarkets to donate any unsold food on their sell-by date to charities

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  • UK Supermarkets are throwing away more than 200,000 tons of food per year. 

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  • Less than 9% of this food is being donated to charities 

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  • Current regulations does not stop supermarkets from binning perfectly consumable foods on their sell-by date

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  • Other countries, like France, have already imposed such laws. It can be done!

Note: we elected our team member John Hewlett to represent STWC on this petition

Let's

Hunger

Eliminate

FOOD WASTE 

  • The UK produce the highest amount of food waste in Europe

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  • 2 million tonnes of edible food goes to waste each year by food manufacturers and food retailers

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  • Food surplus and waste at the retail level amounts to 240,000 tonnes                                        ​

    • Of these, ONLY 5,000 tonnes were redistributed to people and 27,000 tonnes were used in product of animal feed​​​

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  • The UK government's Pilot scheme to reduce food waste from 2018 has still not produced any data nor evidence on food waste reduction

Figures from WRAP, Food Waste in Primary Production in the UK, 2019

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ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

  • The water footprint of food production is also wasted when food is thrown out. One kilo of lettuce requires 240 liters of water! 

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  • 19,000 km2 of land would have been required to produce the food thrown away​ per year

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  • Globally, food waste emissions are 87% to that of road transport emissions​

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  • Food waste in landfills generate methane which is more harmful than carbon-dioxide

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  • Eliminating food waste is as beneficial as taking 1 out of every 4 cars off UK roads for the environment

Data from WRAP ISBN 978-1-84405-458-9 2012 and the FAO's Food Wastage Footprint Report

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FOOD INSECURITY

  • 8.4 million people in the UK are estimated to be affected by food insecurity, that's more than 10% of adults in the UK. 

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  • Of those 8.4 million, 4.7 million people in the United Kingdom live in severe food insecure homes. 

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  • During lockdown young people and households with a child were more likely to experience food Insecurity​

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  • 23% of respondents from 16-24 years old had accessed food through government or charitable food programs according to FSA

Data from FAO UN, Voices of the Hungry 2016 and Food Standards Agency Report 2020

MANDATING SURPLUS FOOD DONATION IS FEASIBLE...LOOK AT FRANCE!

  • France is taking action to achieve SDG 12 and reduce 50% of its food waste by 2030

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  • Since 2016, France has forbade the destruction of surplus food and food-retailers are required to donate this food instead. 

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  • Food-retailers must follow a food hierarchy that depicts which foods must go where depending on the food's edible state. Priority is given to charities that feed those facing hardships.    

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  • The donation of unsold products rose from 66% prior to 2016 to more than 90% by 2019 in France.

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  • How did France do this? Read more about France's legal framework here. 

France's Ban on Food Waste Three Years Later: https://foodtank.com/news/2019/06/opinion-frances-ban-on-food-waste-three-years-later/

France's Law for Fighting Food Waste- Food Waste Prevent Legislation : https://zerowasteeurope.eu/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/zwe_11_2020_factsheet_france_en.pdf

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