Reducing food waste, reducing food poverty

“Although the figures for the UK are still too high, the country has made headway.”

“The King will mark his 75th birthday with an anti-waste initiative reflecting his growing concerns about food poverty in Britain.” [Daily Mail]

.

Back in 2015, as reported by the Telegraph, Britain was wasting more food than any other European country

… with UK households throwing away 13lbs of food weekly… For every one of the UK’s 64 million citizens, the equivalent of a tin of baked beans is thrown away every day.

And, according to the study, that was a 22 million tonne food waste problem across the continent – with the bulk of this being ‘avoidable’.

Internationally, then, it’s not good. While every country is facing their own battles against food waste, the scale of the problem varies from country to country. And over the last decade, the UK has been making real progress:

Although the figures for the UK are still too high, the country has made headway. In fact, the UK is the first country to get more than halfway toward meeting the SDG Target 12.3 of halving food waste by 2030. An achievement which gained it an honorary mention in the Champions 12.3 Food Loss and Waste: 2020 Progress Report. Between 2007 and 2018, the UK reduced its national levels by 27%. Key to the UK’s success has been the commitment of supermarkets and the food industry. While consumer education programs, including Love Food, Hate Waste, have also played a role.

There is still more to do of course. In a new initiative, as reported by the Mail, King Charles is to celebrate his 75th birthday with an ambitious anti-waste project aiming to deliver 200mn meals a year:

The King will mark his 75th birthday with an anti-waste initiative reflecting his growing concerns about food poverty in Britain. Charles will unveil the Coronation Food Project to coincide with his landmark day on November 14 after making an undisclosed substantial private donation to start the venture. The King is focusing on the issue as Britain throws away more food than any other European country.

Dame Martina Milburn will oversee the project after finishing her tenure as chief executive of The Prince’s Trust, the charity Charles set up to help young people. Dame Martina was asked earlier this year to explore ways of reducing the 12million tons of food wasted each year in the UK and help the estimated 14million Britons living in food poverty. The Coronation Food Project would last for five years and aim to provide 200million meals a year as well as necessities for keeping food fresh such as refrigerators.

…