Mr Stuart – who served as chief adviser on Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s ‘War on Waste’ – told letsrecycle.com he felt a “real culpability” that the piece of would-be legislation had largely gone unnoticed.
The Bill would require all large UK supermarkets and manufacturers to reduce their food waste by no less than 30% by 2025 and donate all unsold food to redistribution organisations.
However, the Bill has so far failed to achieve a second reading in the House of Commons and looks likely to be thrown out by government.
Speaking at Eunomia’s fifteenth anniversary event this week (May 24), Mr Stuart explained how his charity organisation, Feedback, had used public events such as ‘disco soupe’ to help to encourage a similar law change in France.
The law, which was passed unanimously by the French senate and rolled out in February this year, bans supermarkets from throwing away unsold food instead forcing them to donate it to charities and food banks.
‘Awareness’
Mr Stuart said: “I feel a real culpability, I think we could do more to raise awareness of it [the Bill] with the British public and are not out campaigning for it.
“I don’t think the UK is going to do it but France has, and there are governments all over the world taking legislative action on food waste.”
Mr Stuart went on to talk about his work as chief waste adviser on BBC One documentary ‘Hugh’s War on Waste’ – a series which aired in January 2016 and saw celebrity chef High-Fearnley Whittingstall take retailers and consumers to task on their food waste habits.
According to Mr Stuart, the programme attracted an audience of “five million” and has caused a huge spike in demand for “wonky” or “ugly” vegetables which the supermarkets had previously rejected.
“It has got to be the point where farmers are actually struggling to produce enough wonky veg,” he added. “What we have done over the years is single out these little things we can win on. We estimate 53% of consumers would boycott supermarkets that waste food.”
The Pig Idea
The pair previously collaborated on The Pig Idea, a campaign established by Mr Stuart to encourage supermarkets to send bread, dairy and vegetable products unfit for human consumption for pigswill rather than AD. The message was largely successful but drew criticism from some corners of the agricultural industry which dubbed the idea “superficially attractive” (see letsrecycle.com story).
Mr Stuart has since adopted another novel approach to food waste, teaming up with Hackney Brewery to launch ‘Toast Pale Ale’ – a beer brewed using surplus bread. All profits from the ale – which was showcased at the Eunomia event – will go to Feedback.
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