Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP), the government-funded group that looks to help businesses and local authorities reduce waste, has called on industry partners to help reduce the amount of food waste in the UK.
The call comes after a WRAP report found that nearly 33 per cent of food bought in the UK is disposed of as waste, with fresh fruit and vegetables one of the leading culprits along with bakery products and fresh meat and fish.
The report, entitled 'The Food We Waste', found that 18m-20m tonnes of food is wasted each year in the UK, with food production and consumption accounting for 18 per cent of the UK's greenhouse gas emissions.
WRAP is now inviting proposals for projects to develop and trial innovative approaches and solutions to reduce food waste, and has called for collaborative partnerships between retailers, suppliers, designers and other industry stakeholders.
The group has already made progress through a series of industry workshops, where suggestions for reducing food waste such as improved storage guidance, more consistent data labelling and a greater range of pack sizes were muted, WRAP said.
'There are real opportunities for retailers and food manufacturers to help reduce the amount of food which is thrown away in the UK,' said WRAP's food waste minimisation manager Andrew Parry. 'The launch of this call for partnerships will now enable companies throughout the supply chain to work in partnership with WRAP to deliver real change.'
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