Supermarkets accused of wasting ‘200,000 tonnes of food’ that can feed needy

Massive tonnes of surplus food that could be fed to hungry families is getting wasted due to supermarkets’ rules over their own-label products, stated recent reports quoting food distribution charities.

Several independent charities grouped together under the Xcess network have claimed that they struggle to source unwanted edible food from manufacturers and processors because of supermarkets’ rules about the handling of their own-label products.

As a result of the said rules, at least 200,000 tonnes of own-label food fit for human consumption ends up as animal food or is used to generate energy, according to research by the sustainability group Anthesis, The Guardian reported.

Mark Game, the chief executive of the charity The Bread and Butter Thing, a food club that hands out heavily discounted food parcels to 25,000 registered members, said, “Retailers hold the cards – unless they say yes to manufacturers, they just can’t give [the food] out.

“Demand constantly outstrips supply and we are having to let people down, and if we had this food we could do more.”

David France, the manager of the Lancaster-based community food club Eggcup, said it was impossible to get hold of the food without the retailers’ permission.

“As a fairly new organisation with a tremendous level of growth, we have not been able to establish relationships with larger organisations,” he said. “It is ridiculous how much food is being thrown away because retailers have contracts with larger [charities], which aren’t always able to use that surplus.”

About half the food we buy every year comes from supermarkets’ own brands, and it is estimated that they make up more than 72 percent of edible surplus food in supermarkets’ supply chains, according to the Anthesis research.

However, with suppliers often packing own-label products for multiple retailers, it is not clear who has ownership of the waste, and it is difficult to get permission from each supermarket involved to hand on unwanted items.

Wrap, the government-backed recycling body, highlighted the issue last summer and issued new guidance calling on retailers to rethink rules that largely limit the redistribution of their unwanted own-label foods to two large charities, FareShare and Company Shop.