Supermarkets produce a fraction of the country’s total food waste compared to that wasted in the supply chain or the home, a new report has said.
Figures collected by the Waste & Resources Action Programme charity (WRAP) found that food waste generated in supermarkets and their depots amounts to 1.3 per cent of the total wasted in the UK.
The report, conducted by the British Retail Consortium (BRC), said the findings demonstrate the improvements in waste management in supermarkets, despite the “popular belief” that they are responsible for most of the country’s food waste.
Of the 15 million tonnes of food thrown away in the UK every year, half is generated in the home, compared to 200,000 tonnes (1.3 per cent) from the retail industry.
The report concluded that very little food waste comes from supermarkets and their depots.
'Our members are pleased to introduce new levels of transparency into the supply chain and today's figures tell a positive story about the vast efforts grocery retailers have made to reduce their food waste to only 1.3 per cent of the total,” said Andrew Opie, BRC’s director of food and sustainability.
“At the same time we all need to continue to focus on where we can make the biggest reductions in food waste and that is in the supply chain and the home. We have a huge contribution to make and will continue our work with suppliers and consumers to build on the progress we have already made.'
WRAP estimated that there was a 10 per cent reduction in food and drink waste by grocery retailers and manufacturers between 2007 and 2012, while household waste has been cut by 15 per cent during the same period.
The BRC said retail is the only UK industry to publish a combined food waste figure.
Last year Tesco became the first retailer to publish its food waste figures, and spark a debate on food waste in the supply chain.
