UK's 'name and shame' effort targets food waste

When the numbers are laid out, the problem of global food waste is tough to swallow.

Moral considerations are glaring - people waste about a third of all food produced on the planet each year, according to the charity Waste and Resources Action Programme, while 815 million people are undernourished.

The economic loss is huge. Each year, 1.3 billion tons of food, valued at $940 billion, is wasted around the world.

The environmental cost is similarly concerning: Food waste accounts for 8 percent of global greenhouse emissions.

In Europe - where 88 million tons of food waste is generated annually at a cost of 143 billion euros ($160 billion) - countries are increasingly rallying to tackle the problem.

Vytenis Andriukaitis, the European Commissioner for health and food safety, has described food waste as the "most repulsive side of consumerism", and Michael Gove, the UK's environment secretary, has labeled the issue an "environmental, economic and moral scandal".

Denmark has emerged as a regional leader in terms of waste reduction, thanks in large part to the efforts of activist Selina Juul, whose charity Stop Wasting Food has helped slash annual food waste in the country by 25 percent.

Looking for a protagonist to lead the charge in the UK, Gove recently assigned businessman Ben Elliot to be the nation's food surplus and waste champion.

Elliot is best known as the chief executive of luxury lifestyle group Quintessentially, which provides private concierge services to the world's rich and famous.

His celebrity connections have already borne fruit. Last week, actress Liv Tyler took part in a 300-mile cycle for a food charity, while singer Elton John and author Sophie Dahl have donated at other events organized by Elliot.

But it is his combative rhetoric that has some of the biggest food players in the UK paying attention.

Through an initiative called Step Up to the Plate, Elliot is challenging the food services industry to cut waste in half by 2030. More than 100 companies, including Starbucks, Tesco, Waitrose and Nestle, have signed on over the past month, and Elliot says a further 51 big hospitality companies are "in the crosshairs".

"We are going to name and shame" organizations that are doing a bad job, and also recognize those doing a good job, Elliot said.

Via this initiative and several others, Waste and Resources Action Programme estimates that the UK now leads the world in terms of food waste prevention activity.

Previously launched projects in the UK like the Love Food Hate Waste campaign and the Coulthard Commitment, both overseen by WRAP, have helped drive down annual food waste from 14.8 million metric tons in 2013 to around 10 million tons today.

The Coulthard Commitment challenges food service companies to improve efficiency in transportation and storage. British supermarket chain Asda provides one of the project's success stories. It has increased the shelf life of over 1,500 products through changes to its delivery and store systems.

In the restaurant sector, London-based startup Too Good to Go has launched a service that connects users to cut-price surplus meals at nearby eateries.

"Food establishments are creating an abundance of food, unaware of what the demand might be that day, but knowing that consumers want it to be fresh," said company co-founder Jamie Crummie. "Our platform means businesses don't have to throw food away ever again."

The company estimates it has saved more than 750,000 meals from the bin since its UK launch in 2016.

The hospitality and service sector is responsible for a tenth of total food waste in the UK, according toWRAP, while the manufacturing and retail industries account for 20 percent.

Some manufacturers are exploring new ways to put inedible waste back into food production. British drinks company Black Cow recently launched a vodka distilled from whey, a byproduct of cheese making.

But WRAP says the biggest hurdle to overcome is in the household, which accounts for 70 percent of UK food waste, compared with an EU average of 51 percent.

The opposite is generally true in the developing world, where household food is treated with more care, and most waste occurs in processing and distribution due to inadequate technology.

WRAP estimates that, of the 7 million tons of food that Britons throw away at home each year, just 2 million tons is unusable food scraps.

"That would fill Wembley Stadium nine times," said Richard Swannell, director of WRAP Global. "And it costs the average family 700 pounds ($870) a year. How many changes can you make tomorrow in your home that are going to give you that sort of return on your investment?"

Through its initiative Love Food Hate Waste, WRAP is educating Britons on measures they can take to throw away less. A big focus is on buying what you need, and not overstocking fridges with produce that will expire. Swannell recommends taking a photograph, or "shelfie", of cupboard and fridge contents before shopping.

WRAP also encourages people to freeze more produce and get creative with recipes that incorporate edible scraps like potato skins, stale bread and broccoli stalks.

About a third of food waste in the home is the result of how shoppers interpret product date labels, according to WRAP.

People sometimes mix up the intent behind "use by" labels (which concern food safety) and "best before" tags (which are a guidance for freshness).

The company is working with retailers to place "best before "instead of "use by" labels on certain products like pasteurized juices and hard cheese.

Supermarket chain Tesco is trying out the removal of "best before "labels altogether from 116 types of fruit and vegetables, leaving consumers to use their own judgment.

WRAP Global is also working with partners in China to reduce waste, with a particular focus on restaurants where a banquet culture leads to surplus food.

"Tackling food waste will save you money, but it will also make a big contribution to helping save the planet," said Swannell, the WRAP Global director. "We can help solve this problem starting today, just by taking small steps in our homes."

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(China Daily Global 07/18/2019 page1)