CONTRARY to popular belief and indeed the basis of your editorial ("Food for thought on waste we create", The Herald, May 30), relatively little food waste comes from supermarkets and their depots.
Of the 15 million tonnes of food thrown away in the UK every year half of it is generated in the home, compared to only 1.3 per cent that comes from the retail industry.
It really shouldn't come as a surprise that retail accounts for such a tiny fraction of the overall volume of food and packaging waste. Eliminating food waste makes perfect business sense. It is good for easing pressures on supply chains, good for reducing costs on the business and good for customer budgets.
Where retailers do have useable excessive stock, they work closely with food re-distribution charities across Scotland and the UK such as FareShare and Community Shop to ensure that as much of that food goes to the people who are most in need of it. Where food is not suitable for human consumption it is used in a range of alternative, efficient ways such as turning it into fuel through anaerobic digestion. Major retailers are proud to say that they do not send food waste direct to landfill.
Beyond reducing their own food waste, retailers are working along the supply chain to assist in the reduction of food waste. Working with farmers and producer groups right through to helping households reduce their waste retailers are working on initiatives like innovative packaging solutions to increase the shelf life of products or amending freezing guidance advising customers to freeze food as soon as possible up to the product use by date.
If one considers the French proposals one sees that what is being statutorily compelled in France is already being undertaken voluntarily as a matter of good business practice by responsible grocery retailers in this country. Comparing this country's approach to food waste to other less efficient countries is misleading. Our retailers waste less and get more out of the supply chain. This responsible approach ought to be acknowledged.
David Martin,
Head of Policy and External Affairs,
Scottish Retail Consortium,
12 Southbridge, Edinburgh.
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