I have co-sponsored a bill aimed at reducing food waste. The Ten Minute Rule Bill will be presented in the Commons today by Bristol East MP Kerry McCarthy.
The bill would place a legal obligation on large supermarkets and manufacturers to donate surplus food to charities for redistribution to those in food poverty. It also seeks to incentivise other businesses and public bodies to donate their surplus.
The bill would place a legal obligation on large supermarkets and manufacturers to donate surplus food to charities for redistribution to those in food poverty. It also seeks to incentivise other businesses and public bodies to donate their surplus.
Food Cycle, a social enterprise which prepares meals using surplus donated food, estimates that around 13 million people living in food poverty in the UK could benefit if Ms McCarthy’s bill becomes law. The current surplus is also putting pressure on land and resources, contributing to deforestation, adding to greenhouse gas emissions and helping to drive up glocal food prices.
The introduction of a UK version of the US Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act (1996) would protect food donors and recipients from civil and criminal liability, except in cases of gross negligence/intential misconduct. Experiences in the US have shown that the act has removed any real or perceived barriers to food donation and facilitated redistribution to those in need.
The UK must urgently address the issue of food waste. Up to 50% of edible and healthy food is currently wasted and food waste in the EU is set to rise by 40% by 2020 if no action is taken. We already have some local voluntary efforts by supermarkets but we need to increase the scale of operation.
I am joining Kerry McCarthy MP in calling for a legal obligation to be placed on large supermarkets and manufacturers to redistribute surplus food. It is indefensible that, at a time when many people are struggling and 13 million are currently living in food poverty, vast amounts of food are going to waste.
The introduction of a UK version of the US Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act (1996) would protect food donors and recipients from civil and criminal liability, except in cases of gross negligence/intential misconduct. Experiences in the US have shown that the act has removed any real or perceived barriers to food donation and facilitated redistribution to those in need.
The UK must urgently address the issue of food waste. Up to 50% of edible and healthy food is currently wasted and food waste in the EU is set to rise by 40% by 2020 if no action is taken. We already have some local voluntary efforts by supermarkets but we need to increase the scale of operation.
I am joining Kerry McCarthy MP in calling for a legal obligation to be placed on large supermarkets and manufacturers to redistribute surplus food. It is indefensible that, at a time when many people are struggling and 13 million are currently living in food poverty, vast amounts of food are going to waste.
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