EACH year, 1.3 billion tonnes of food are thrown away across the world. This means about one third of all food produced is wasted.
With one in nine people unable to get enough food to live a healthy life, governments have decided to try and reduce food waste. Following France’s decision to outlaw food waste in their supermarkets, today’s launch of the revamped Courtauld Commitment 2025 is the first indication that the UK intends to follow suit.
Cardiff is also playing its part, most recently with yesterday’s Love Food Hate Waste event on Queen Street.
The Courtauld initiative aims to cut the resources needed to provide our food and drink by one-fifth over 10 years, and it is hoped that this will lead to a more sustainable model for food production that could save around £20 billion according to WRAP, the resource efficiency charity rolling out the scheme.
The Courtauld Commitment brings together some of the UK’s leading manufacturers, retailers, brands and trade organisations to try and combat the issues surrounding wasted food in the UK.
Food waste in Cardiff
Cardiff is part of the Love Food Hate Waste: 10 Cities campaign, which means there are regular demonstrations, networks and events held across the capital aimed at helping the people of Cardiff to reduce their food waste.
Yesterday, Love Food Hate Waste teamed up with Hang Fire Smokehouse to give out free tasters and information on how to reduce food waste, on Cardiff’s Queen Street.
Cardiffians were encouraged to make a personal pledge to reduce their food waste in return for a brisket burger or a portion of chilli, courtesy of Barry-based Hang Fire Smokehouse.
Campaign manager Caroline Hutchinson said she was “absolutely thrilled” with the turnout.
“I can’t believe the number of people who’ve come down today – I had no idea how many people we’d see but it’s great to hear from so many people pledging to make a difference to their cooking and eating habits.”
This event was aimed at reducing the amount of meat that goes to waste and the free tasters helped bring in a considerable crowd.
Shauna Guinn, one of the founders of Hang Fire Smokehouse, described the event as “overwhelmingly successful” and said it was “fantastic that people have made bothered to make a pledge.
“It’s great to be a part of this – the type of food that we do fits really well with the ideas that Love Food Hate Waste are trying to deliver.
“I can’t believe the amount of food that goes to waste, when you think about all the time, energy and love put in by farmers it really is terrible that so much ends up being thrown away”.
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Cardiff’s foodbanks are also aiming to reduce food waste through a number of projects, according to operations manager Catherine Williams.
Following today’s news that Wales is now home to 157 foodbanks compared to just 16 between 1998 and 2010, Ms Williams says that finding ways to save money through food shopping is essential to some families in the city.
Ms Williams said: “Financial pressures and the recent period of austerity mean that foodbanks are more well known and there is more and more demand for them.
“We have a project in Ely to encourage people to grow their own vegetables, and Love Food Hate Waste have been running training sessions to educate people on the best way to do this.
“We are also working with a number of Gregg’s in the area – we pick up bread and other bits and help to distribute them to our foodbanks.”
Love Food Hate Waste offer five key pieces of advice to help people save money and reduce food waste:
- Plan meals in advance
- Keep an eye on use-by dates
- Savvy storage – keep items fresher for longer
- Get creative – use those leftovers
- Perfect portions – cook just the right amount
- For more advice visit Wales Love Food Hate Waste.
