Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to ensure large supermarkets exceeding a footprint of 400 sq metres tackle food waste as noted by the report of the Government Chief Scientific Advisor, From Waste to Resource Productivity: Evidence and Case Studies, published on 14 December 2017.

We will continue to support the redistribution of unsold edible and nutritious surplus stock from food businesses to individuals in need. Work to encourage redistribution of surplus food will continue under Courtauld 2025 in the redistribution working group. Business signatories including leading retailers, manufacturers, and food redistribution organisations have agreed an ambition to work collaboratively with the Waste and Resources Action Programme to double the amount of surplus food they redistribute by 2020 against a 2015 baseline of 15,000 tonnes.

On 21 December last year the Secretary of State announced a new £0.5 million fund for charities who redistribute surplus food from food businesses to those in need rather than letting it go to waste. The new Food Waste Reduction Fund will provide grants to finance specific projects: fridges or vehicles, IT systems and software, or for training staff and volunteers about food safety skills.