G’s, Branston and Richard Hochfeld are among the Tesco suppliers that have committed to the Sustainable Development Goal to halve food waste by 2030.
The agreement, which was announced by Tesco CEO Dave Lewis at a meeting of food waste campaign Champions 12.3 in New York today (20 September), will also see the 24 suppliers publish food waste data for their own operations within 12 months.
It is described as the first deal of its kind between a major retailer and its food suppliers, and follows similar moves by the IGD and Consumer Goods Forum (CGF) to align branded suppliers with the Champions 12.3 goals.
Other produce companies to sign up include Gomez, AMT, DPS and Bakkavor.
In addition, Tesco announced that its businesses in the Republic of Ireland, Poland, Slovakia, Czech Republic and Hungary have published their food waste data, following four years of publication in the UK.
The retailer has committed to transparency on food waste data to use that information to help reduce food waste in its operations.
Food waste campaigner Tristram Stuart said: “We have been challenging Tesco and other supermarkets on transparent reporting of food waste for years now.
“This commitment to ensure that supply chain waste is measured and reported makes Tesco the world-leading supermarket on transparent food waste reporting, and represents a significant step towards meeting the global goal to halve food waste by 2030.”
Stuart called on other businesses to follow suit, and demonstrate, if they can, that they are not 'inherently wasteful'.
Lewis said: “Great progress has been made, but the reality is that we need many more companies, countries or cities committing to halve food waste by 2030, measuring and publishing their data and acting on that insight to tackle food waste.
“I am delighted that many of our major suppliers have taken this important step so we can work in partnership to reduce food waste.”
