Food retailer Iceland has contacted the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) over its decision to pursue a case against three individuals alleged to have stolen waste food from bins outside the supermarket chains Kentish Town store in London.
The three men are due to stand trial next month after allegedly taking food waste from bins in a secure storage yard behind the store.
However, in a statement released today (January 29), Iceland said that its staff did not call the police at the time of the incident and the company had no knowledge of the resulting prosecution until the media reports of it appeared.
Rather, the supermarket chain claims, the store in question is next door to a police station and the police attended on their own initiative.
Iceland said it is now trying to find out from the CPS why they believe it is in the public interest to pursue the case but will comment further when we are more fully informed.
Iceland added that it sympathises with those who are struggling to meet their food bill and does its utmost to help customers with value, offers and by supporting a range of charities around the country.
‘We are currently trying to find out from the Crown Prosecution Service why they believe that it is in the public interest to pursue a case against these three individuals, and will comment further when we are more fully informed.’
Iceland statement
Iceland
Explaining its general food waste policy, the supermarket said it worked with suppliers to minimise the amount of waste food it generates but that any remaining food waste is processed through anaerobic digestion (AD).
Iceland said: Products are only designated as waste when they have passed their use-by dates and are considered unfit for human consumption. We utilise secure storage areas and/or locked waste bins to dispose of such products because allowing them to be consumed by members of the public would constitute a significant health and safety risk. All our food waste is ultimately disposed of through an environmentally friendly process of anaerobic digestion.
Food waste
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The case highlights ongoing debates surrounding the destination of food that has passed its sell-by date.
In March 2012, Labour MP for Bristol East, Kerry McCarthy, proposed a private members bill to the House of Commons that would have required retailers and manufacturers to donate edible food that would otherwise be classed as waste to charities and food banks.
The bill also proposed that food waste not fit for human consumption would be handed to farmers for livestock feed, but it failed to draw enough support to pass through parliament.
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