Wasteful companies could have to come clean on how much food they throw away

Crackdown on firms that squander food: Wasteful companies could have to come clean on how much they throw away as Government is set to launch consultation on new rules

  • The Government could make it compulsory for firms to publish their food waste
  • The crackdown would be big boost for The Mail on Sunday’s War On Food Waste
  • Once companies measure food waste, it is easier to set targets to slash it 


Wasteful companies could be forced to come clean on how much food they throw away, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.

The Government is set to launch a consultation on new rules that would make it compulsory for firms above a certain size to publish how much food they waste.

The crackdown would represent a big boost for The Mail on Sunday’s War On Food Waste campaign, which is urging firms to reveal how much goes in their bins.

Wasteful companies could be forced to come clean on how much food they throw away, The Mail on Sunday can reveal

Experts say that once companies measure food waste, it is easier to set targets to slash it – and make sure as much as possible is redistributed to those in need.

In the MoS today, the Government’s food waste tsar, Ben Elliot, writes: ‘We are already having conversations about introducing mandatory food waste reporting by businesses. Getting firms to measure waste is the first step to them cutting down.’ 

Some 171 firms so far report food waste figures to the charity Waste & Resources Action Programme.

Officials are yet to decide whether the new rules on making food waste data public will apply only to larger companies – such as supermarkets and big food manufacturers – or extend to medium-sized firms.

The consultation will look at who the rules affect, when they come in, and on any possible penalties.

Experts say that once companies measure food waste, it is easier to set targets to slash it

Experts say that once companies measure food waste, it is easier to set targets to slash it