why is mandatory food waste reporting still on hold

This post is by Adam Isaacs, Public Affairs Manager UK and Ireland at Too Good to Go.

Cast your mind back to the heady days of 2018: the summer was sweltering, a royal wedding dominated the tabloids, ‘Black Panther’ had everyone talking and Gareth Southgate’s young England squad made us believe again (at least for a few weeks).

Meanwhile, Westminster was tearing itself apart over Brexit. But amid the chaos, Michael Gove, then at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), was inspired by Blue Planet and set out to deliver environmental reform. His efforts led to the launch of the Resources and Waste Strategy in December 2018, which, despite the political storm, gained widespread support for proposed initiatives like Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS), single-use plastic bans, consistent kerbside collection and mandatory food waste reporting.

While progress has been made on many of these policies, mandatory food waste reporting remains stuck in limbo, endlessly talked about but never quite arriving.

Why has this policy seen so little movement?
Food waste might not be the most glamorous challenge, but it’s undeniably urgent. 40 per cent of all food is wasted, accounting for ten per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions. In the UK alone, we waste 10.7 million tonnes of food each year, costing the economy a staggering near £22 billion, a triggering figure for Chancellor Rachel Reeves.

The idea behind mandatory food waste reporting is about using data to drive action. When businesses are held accountable, they take steps to reduce waste; whether by improving stock management, donating food or repurposing surplus. It’s a win-win: businesses save money, emissions are avoided and we get closer to a circular economy.

What’s encouraging is that, while other policies like EPR and DRS have stirred debate, mandatory reporting has near universal support. Over 30 businesses recently signed a letter co-ordinated by Too Good To Go and the British Retail Consortium, urging its introduction. And when Defra consulted on the policy in 2022, two thirds of large businesses backed it and 99 per cent of all respondents.

Better yet, mandatory reporting doesn’t require primary legislation. A simple statutory instrument will do the trick. It’s Lucy Powell’s dream, hardly eating into the parliamentary timetable.

Of course, money is tight for the government, but mandatory reporting costs the Treasury so little it might be considered a rounding error. So it begs the question, given the urgency of the issue, why, six years on, have we seen so little movement on a policy with clear solutions, industry backing and minimal costs?

Political will is missing
At the heart of the delay is political will. Successive governments have talked about tackling food waste, but when it comes to action it often gets overshadowed by more pressing issues.

And the revolving door of prime ministers and Defra secretaries hasn’t helped. Six months after the strategy launched, Michael Gove was replaced by George Eustice, who supported the strategy but was understandably preoccupied by Brexit and Covid.

Therése Coffey, perhaps most damagingly, decided in August 2023 to postpone mandatory reporting until 2026. Rishi Sunak’s government agreed to withdraw her response and retake the decision, and Steve Barclay and Robbie Moore seemed to be edging towards a positive decision only for a surprise general election announcement to kill momentum once again.

The government still needs to give it the greenlight
The new Labour government has committed to a ‘zero waste economy’ and has begun to breathe life back into the resources and waste agenda. But mandatory food waste reporting – the easiest win of the whole agenda – still hasn’t been greenlit.

This policy was supposed to be the first step in reducing food waste, setting a baseline, nudging businesses into action and ultimately helping us meet the UN’s sustainable development goal 12.3: halving per capita food waste by 2030. But every week without a decision brings us closer to that deadline, and the progress we so desperately need slips further away.

Small steps will have a big impact
Today marks six years since the Resources and Waste Strategy was published. For me, it was a real window of hope. But, over the years, that hope has slowly faded. The sector has stepped up, with WRAP’s Courtauld Commitment, redistribution organisations are doing invaluable work and Too Good To Go is saving four meals from the bin every second.

But, if we’re going to make real change on the scale needed, it’s time for the government to lead.

The new government has plenty on its plate, but it won’t make real progress without decisively embracing simple, win-win policies like mandatory food waste reporting. It’s not just another item on the agenda, it’s a totemic symbol of how small steps can have a big impact.