Progress to tackle food waste in South Shropshire welcomed by MP
Stuart Anderson MP has hailed progress in his campaign to tackle food waste as South Shropshire's supermarkets have responded to his campaign call to action.
Seven supermarkets responded to Stuart's request for information. This included Boots, Tesco, Marks and Spencer, the Co-Op, Aldi, Sainsbury's, and Morrison.
It is the latest stage in Stuart's campaign to unleash rural prosperity. Stuart was prompted to write to local supermarkets after it emerged that 10.7 million tonnes of food is wasted annually. Worth £17 billion, Stuart said it is a "monumental waste of the resources used to produce it."
Stuart believes supermarkets can play a vital role in leading efforts to cut food waste. He wrote to them, asking for details of action to measure and reduce waste in their operations and supply chains - including by donating surplus food to charity and supporting local food producers.
Marks and Spencer's Simply Food Store in Bridgnorth has donated 11 tonnes of edible surplus food to local charities over the past year including Bridgnorth Food Bank.
Nationally, the supermarket has donated over 100 million meals since 2015, supporting 4.7 million people and preventing 49,000 tonnes of food waste.
Tesco became the first UK retailer to publicly report their food waste figures in 2013 and is calling for mandatory food waste reporting. A Community Food Connection donates surplus food to local charities and community groups.
Meanwhile, the Co-Op launched a redistribution platform, Caboodle, in 2022 - with 81% of over 2,000 stores redistributing food on every week and supporting 2,000 local community groups.
Aldi has partnered with food waste disruptor, Lagomchef, to create recipe content for his Instagram and TikTok channels. In addition, Sainsbury's has donated more than 500,000 meals to communities in the West Midlands through its partnerships.
In South Shropshire, they source from 95 beef farms, 31 lamb farms, and one dairy farm. Boots has launched a 'Food Waste Heroes' programme across over 600 stores.
Morrisons redistributed 600 tonnes of food in 2024 and works with over 100 livestock, dairy and vegetable farmers in Shropshire, while their 'Tractor Tuesdays' initiative offers farmers a 25% discount on all food and drink at their cafes every Tuesday.
Finally, Asda reported that reducing food waste is one of teir strategic priorities. They also work with more than 300 local suppliers who now provide more than 2,000 product lines into their stores – and welcome further expressions of interest.
Stuart Anderson MP said: "Supermarkets can play a vital role in leading efforts to cut food waste. So, I wrote to them, asking for details of action they are taking to measure and reduce waste in their operations and supply chains – including by donating surplus food to charity and supporting local food producers like those in South Shropshire.
"Their responses, which I have published on my website, have enabled me to find out about their work in our local community. By making our food chains more local, we can cut waste and help farmers across South Shropshire."
