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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing legislation to require supermarkets to donate edible unsold food to charities and community organisations instead of disposing of it.

The Government supports food waste reduction through WRAP’s UK Food and Drink Pact and Food Waste Reduction Roadmap, helping businesses measure, reduce, report waste and increase surplus food redistribution. Businesses should prioritise redistribution; in 2024 retail redistributed 97,889 tonnes, 46% of surplus food redistributed in the UK.