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Foodservice brands back new food waste campaign

KFC and Sodexo have signed up as strategic partners to a national week of action to tackle food waste. Supermarkets Waitrose, Asda, Coop and M&S are also involved, as are food manufacturers including Nestlé, Arla, Danone and Unilever.

Food waste action week’ will take place between Monday 1st to Sunday 7th March, with activities happening across the whole of the UK. Run by Wrap, the week will “link organisations across the food supply chain and beyond to stop food going to waste”.

The public will also be engaged. The campaign will be “headed by a well-known public figure”. Wrap said “the public will see information and activities happening throughout the week across social media and digital platforms, with hard-hitting creative assets”.

The inaugural week’s key message will be “wasting food feeds climate change”.

Marcus Gover, Wrap CEO, said food waste “generates more greenhouse gas emissions than all the commercial flights in the world”.

Wrap research published last year showed that while 81% of people in the UK are concerned about climate change, fewer than 30% can see a clear link with wasting food.

So far there are 27 strategic partners, with more being encouraged to come forward. Some 42 supporting partners have also signed up, including the Institute of Hospitality, ISS and the Sustainable Restaurant Association.

“Creating a week in the calendar dedicated to reducing food waste is long overdue,” said SRA managing director Juliane Caillouette Noble.

Earlier this year a number of major foodservice brands, including McDonald’s UK, Pret and Burger King UK, joined Wrap’s food waste reduction roadmap.

However, companies continue to resist reporting publicly on their food waste data. BaxterStorey is the only one in hospitality to do so, with the contract caterer having reduced food waste against purchases from 5% to 2.7%.

The UK government is due to consult on mandatory reporting of food waste. Talks have begun with industry, according to recent reports in The Grocer.