Extracts from EFRA
questions: Food Waste
(South West Bedfordshire)
(Con)
1. What steps his Department is taking to help reduce food waste.
(900502)
The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
()
The UK is an international leader in tackling food waste, which
has fallen by 17% since 2007 or the equivalent of 26 kg per
person. This year, over £2 million will go to our food waste
prevention programme and we have a groundbreaking industry
initiative, helping to redistribute more food than ever
before.
As I understand it, a third of all food is wasted, which
contributes around 9% of greenhouse emissions and costs our
economy about £20 billion a year. Will the Secretary of State
consider introducing policies that reduce food waste across the
supply chain, such as improved food waste reporting from
industry, so that we can target, measure and act on food waste
for the sake not only of our economy, but our planet?
My hon. Friend raises an extremely important point. Some 60% of
food waste is wasted in the home, but the Courtauld commitment
includes a groundbreaking voluntary agreement with industry that
has doubled the amount of food redistributed in the last two
years.
(Strangford) (DUP)
As the Secretary of State rightly says, if we are going to reduce
food waste, that starts with everybody participating, including
people at home and retail businesses. In Strangford, Asda, Tesco
and Lidl all redistribute food waste to local community groups
before it goes bad and becomes unpalatable. Does the Secretary of
State welcome that? It underlines the fact that everyone needs to
participate in the reduction of food waste, starting with
the supermarkets
people in their houses and the Government?
The hon. Gentleman is right that the issue applies to all
parties, which is why we fund Love Food Hate Waste and the Food
Waste Action Week campaigns to raise awareness. Food waste is
down 17% since 2007 and we have doubled the amount of food
redistributed since 2019, so significant progress has been made,
but there is more to do and those information campaigns play a
key role in getting that message across.
Red Tractor Assurance
Scheme
(Tewkesbury) (Con)
5. Whether he has had recent discussions with representatives
of supermarkets on
their proposed changes to the Red Tractor scheme. (900506)
The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
()
The Red Tractor assurance scheme is independent and its
relationship with food retailers is a commercial matter for it.
Separately, the Government will launch a review of the fresh
produce sector to understand issues relating to fairness in the
supply chain. It is important that consumers know about the food
they buy.
Mr Robertson
I thank the Secretary of State for that answer. As he will be
aware, although farmers in this country want to comply, they are
a bit concerned that they may be disadvantaged compared with
foreign producers who do not work to the same standards. What
assurance can he give to British farmers that he will do
everything he can to make sure that supermarkets do
not disadvantage them?
I can give my hon. Friend a very strong assurance on that front.
Supporting British farmers is my No. 1 priority. Indeed, with the
Minister for Food, Farming and Fisheries in the Department, we
have someone who has a lifetime’s experience of working as a
farmer. We should be proud of the Red Tractor scheme, which is
known around the world for being a high-quality mark of British
produce. I recognise, however, that concerns have been raised and
we will launch a review soon into fairness in the horticulture
supply chain, but if necessary, I will not hesitate to use the
powers in the relevant Act to introduce legislation to tackle
contractual unfairness, wherever that exists.
Extract from oral
answer (Lords) on Universal Credit
(Con): My Lords, food
inflation remains stubbornly high, at slightly over 10%, although
thankfully it is 9 percentage points down from its peak in March
this year. On this vital household metric, there is significant
risk that prices will stay unaffordably high. What measures will
the Government take to encourage the price of essential food
items to come down from current levels in retail, local shops and
supermarkets
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Work
and Pensions () (Con): My noble
friend raises another pressure, which we are also aware of.
First, tackling inflation is the Government’s number one
priority, and that is coming down. The Government monitor
consumer food prices using the consumer prices index, as my noble
friend will know, and in October 2023 CPI food price inflation
reported by the ONS was 10.1%, down from 12.1% in September 2023.
I reassure him that, through regular engagement, Defra will
continue to work with food retailers and producers to explore the
range of measures they can take to ensure the availability of
affordable food.
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