The letter, signed by the likes of Marks and Spencer, Aldi, Sainsburys, Tesco and Waitrose, is addressed to Steve Barclay, secretary of state for the Department of environment, food and rural affairs (Defra).
Other signatories include Abel and Co, Danone, Innocent Drinks, Oddbox and Quorn.
Published in partnership with the British Retail Consortium, the letter references progress made in regard to reducing food waste, such as “AI and innovative tools”, “improved staff training and opportunities to identify mutually economically beneficial collaborations”, to “partnerships with surplus food marketplaces”.
Too Good To Go and its signatories go on to say that the action they take as individual businesses “won’t tackle the issue alone”.
Progress
And while it acknowledges progress made under the Courtauld Commitment, the companies said that they “need mandatory food waste reporting to help measure and judge if meaningful impact is being achieved, and to encourage more action to be taken across the whole industry”.
The letter finishes by stating that “mandatory food waste reporting is a pragmatic solution which will benefit our industry, natural environment and the UK economy”.
Last year, in an update to its 2018 Resources and Waste Strategy, Defra announced it would not mandate waste measurement and reporting for large food businesses until 2026.
Then, on 21 November 2023, the UK government withdrew its previous response to its consultation on mandatory food waste reporting, with the environment secretary set to “reconsider” a mandate.
A spokesperson for Too Good To Go said: “This landmark collective effort addresses the urgent need to combat the reality of food waste, which sees over a third of all food produced go to waste, costing the UK economy £20.8 billion annually and contributing 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions.”
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