Food Waste in London
How the city is currently tackling food waste and food insecurity, primarily with WRAP—and ways they can improve
THE CHALLENGE
Food waste is one of the biggest contributors to climate change. Currently, a third of all food intended for human consumption goes uneaten, resulting in a loss or waste of approximately 1.3 billion tonnes annually (C40 Cities, 2024).
London is the second-highest producer of total GHG in Europe (see Figure 1), and food waste is one of the major contributors. The city emits 15,483 kilotons of CO2 each year from the production, transportation, consumption and disposal of food (Francis, 2021). However, if food scraps are diverted from landfills and processed appropriately, they can be transformed into compost that supports new food growth and improves soil's ability to absorb CO2 from the atmosphere. Properly-handled food waste can be redistributed to those facing food insecurity or utilized as feed for animals like pigs. Additionally, these scraps can be used to generate energy through anaerobic digestion and the conversion of biogas (C40 Cities, 2024).
Figure 1: London is the second-highest producer of total GHG emissions in Europe. In per capita emissions, it is the 11th (C40 Cities, 2024)
LONDON’S SOLUTION: FUNDING CHARITIES
Rather than a regulatory approach, the UK and local London government primarily fund charities and voluntary initiatives to deliver food waste reductions (Food Waste in England, 2017, p. 9). This is a proactive mitigation policy, aiming to reduce the output of GHGs into the atmosphere by preventing food from entering landfills in the first place. In 2019, the government launched a £15 million scheme to enable UK food redistribution NGOs to apply for support in overcoming financial barriers (Cutting Food Waste, 2019). Organizations work closely with businesses (restaurants, bars, hotels, retailers, wholesale markets, etc.) in diverting food waste to food-insecure populations.
Redistribution NGOs include City Harvest London and the Felix Project. In 2022, City Harvest prevented the release of 14,642 tonnes of greenhouse gases (Annual Report, 2023). In 2023, the Felix Project accounted for 8% of all food waste redistribution in the UK, and prevented 34,021 tonnes of embedded GHG (About The Felix Project, 2024). Other NGOs such as Too Good To Go combat food waste by alerting mobile app users to purchase surplus food at half price (Join Our Food Waste Movement, 2024).
This paper will primarily focus on one UK charity working closely with the government to target London food waste: Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP). Founded in the UK in 2000, WRAP is a climate action NGO now active in over 40 countries. It collaborates with global brands, governments, partners, and individuals to cut food waste (Transforming the Food System, 2024).
Figure 2: WRAP: Food and Drink material hierarchy. Prevention is highest priority, including redistribution, followed by recycling, recovery, and disposal (Food Waste in England, 2017)
WRAP’S COURTAULD 2030 COMMITMENT
WRAP’s Courtauld 2030 Commitment is a voluntary agreement bringing together organizations across the food system to make food production more sustainable, aiming for a 50% per capita reduction in food waste by 2030 vs the UK 2007 baseline. Signatories to Courtauld such as Tesco adhere to best practice guidance developed by WRAP, Defra, and the FSA (The Courtauld Commitment, 2023). These guidelines include adding a ‘Suitable for Freezing’ logo and leftover recipes to encourage customers to reduce food waste. However, as the House of Commons points out, the Courtauld Agreement has limited scope and is entirely voluntary—many companies on the manufacturing side aren’t signatories (Food Waste in England, 2017, p. 10).
TARGETING HOUSEHOLD WASTE WITH WRAP
Households are the main contributors to food waste. According to the City of London, UK households waste 6.5 million tonnes of food every year, accounting for 70% of food waste. Some of this waste is inevitable, such as egg shells, while other waste is preventable, such as moldy bread (Food Waste, 2024). The government has worked closely with WRAP in promoting the "Love Food Hate Waste" campaign, which educates the public on how to reduce food waste at home through better shopping practices, meal planning, and food storage. WRAP has prevented at least 387,000 tonnes of waste since 2013 (WRAP England/UK, 2024).
However, the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs’ (Defra) funding for WRAP has been reduced in recent years (Food Waste in England, 2017, p. 29). The government must ensure WRAP receives enough public funding, supplemented by investments from trusts and charities, to sustain its food waste reduction programs effectively.
IMPROVING LONDON’S FOOD WASTE APPROACH
Beyond letting NGOs pick up the mess, a governmental regulatory approach is necessary to combat climate change associated with food waste. I believe the UK government should implement an ambitious national food waste target to ensure a focus on reducing food waste. Unlike the government, there are few mechanisms keeping NGOs accountable (Kamat, 2003). I suggest a balanced partnership between the government and these initiatives to encourage transparency in GHG data reporting.
Despite the success of many of WRAP’s initiatives, much progress remains to be made to reduce household food waste in London. In agreement with the House of Commons, I advise the UK government to collaborate closely with WRAP and local authorities to guarantee that as many households as possible have access to separate food waste collections (Food Waste in England, 2017, p. 27).
Moreover, WRAP doesn’t address ‘wonky’ food waste. Recent studies indicate that up to 25% of apples, 20% of onions, and 13% of potatoes produced in the UK are sent to landfills due to their ‘ugly’ appearance (Hezarkhani et al., 2023). Establishing a separate channel for the sale of ‘ugly’ produce could enhance profit margins for farmers, reduce costs for buyers, and stimulate greater demand for fruits and vegetables (Hezarkhani et al., 2023).
Several companies, including subscription services like OddBox, are addressing food waste by delivering "wonky" fruits and vegetables to London homes (Wonky Fruit & Veg, 2024). The UK government could enhance these efforts by fostering collaborations between farmers and retailers or subscription services, creating a supply chain for imperfect produce. This may include financial rewards for participating farmers, regulatory assistance, and campaigns to raise consumer awareness about the benefits of such produce. Establishing a focused 'wonky food' program within WRAP would be ideal.
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