Hampers of Binned Food Delivered to Mandelson and Benn in Food Waste Protest

The group demanded that Peter Mandleson establishes a supermarket ombudsman, to ensure supermarkets bear the cost of returning previously ordered food. This recommendation, made by the Competition Commission in its recent Grocery Code Of Practice (August 2009), has yet to be enforced on unwilling supermarkets. As it stands, there is no financial incentive for supermarkets to order correct amounts of food, instead over-ordering to present bursting shelves and drive down unit costs. Using their purchasing dominance, supermarkets force suppliers and producers to bear the cost of returned food, which is then tipped into landfill. The ombudsman would also have the power to reign in supermarket dominance, particularly that of Tesco, whose superstores on average cause a net loss of two hundred and seventy six high street jobs on opening, according to their own research (1).

The letter addressed to Benn demanded that unnecessary food labeling, such as 'best before', 'sell by' and 'display until' dates, are removed and that supermarkets be forced to monitor and declare the food they waste, throughout their supply chains, setting ambitious reduction targets of no less than fifty per cent over five years. Additionally, it called on DEFRA to prevent supermarkets from rejecting food on cosmetic grounds, now possible under relaxed EU legislation.

According to DEFRA, supermarkets annually dispose of 1.6m tonnes of edible food at their high street outlets. No figures exist for the enormous amount of food wasted up and down supermarket supply chains, as they are not presently required to monitor it. A further 5.4m tonnes is thrown away by households, often due to confusing labeling on foodstuffs, none but the 'use by' date having any food safety significance. In total, according to estimates by Tristram Stuart author of Waste: The Global Food Scandal, between one third and one half of food produced for the UK is wasted. One seventh of the food waste produced in the developed world could feed the billion hungry who currently co-habit our world. According to BAPEN ( http://www.bapen.org.uk/) the UK is home to three million malnourished people. Over 20% of the UK's per capita carbon emissions are the result of the production and transportation of food, meaning up to 10% of UK emissions result from the production of food never eaten.

Many of the group involved in the action primarily rely on skipped food for sustenance while at University. They recognise that if their campaign is successful this plentiful supply of free food will dry up. Their concern for victims of food poverty – many of whom genuinely rely on skipped food for survival – means they believe unavoidable surplus should be successfully redirected through food distribution charities. FairShare, the UK's largest, believes supermarkets could increase by ten to fifteen times the amount of food they provide for such initiatives.

(1).Sam Porter, Paul Raistrick, January 1998. The Impact of Out-of-Centre Food Superstores on Local Retail Employment. The National Retail Planning Forum, c/o Corporate Analysis, Boots Company PLC, Nottingham. The NRPF was at the time financed by Tesco, Sainsbury, Marks and Spencer, Boots and John Lewis.