2 Sisters joins Tesco pledge to cut food waste

21-Sep-2017 - Last updated on 22-Sep-2017 at 11:28 GMT

Tesco’s top suppliers have pledged to cut food waste by half by 2030

2 Sisters Food Group, Bakkavor and Moy Park have pledged to halve their food waste by 2030, in partnership with Tesco, the UK’s largest supermarket.

Tesco has partnered with 24 of its largest food suppliers to drive the new drive scheme.

Ceo Dave Lewis announced the new scheme this week (September 20) at the Champions 12.3 meeting – a coalition of executives from governments, businesses and organisations from around the world – in New York.

The suppliers, which represent over £17bn worth of Tesco sales, will publish food waste data for their own operations within 12 months.

Tesco’s suppliers also pledged to cut food waste in their supply chains and make it easier for consumers to reduce waste at home. A full list of all the suppliers can be found below.

Waste in their supply chains

The supermarket also announced it would publish food waste data for its businesses in Ireland, Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Hungary.

Speaking at Champions 12.3, Lewis said: “Great progress has been made, but the reality is that we need many more companies, countries or cities committing to halve food waste by 2030, measuring and publishing their data and acting on that insight to tackle food waste.

“I am delighted that many of our major suppliers have taken this important step so we can work in partnership to reduce food waste”

The Tesco boss called for more action on food waste across the supply chain last year, urging manufacturers to be more transparent about how much surplus food was thrown away.

Be more transparent

Moy Park’s director of business Howard Wright added: “We are delighted to partner with Tesco and help tackle the important issue of food waste across the production process, supply chain and in our homes.

“Moy Park is committed to developing its business in a sustainable and ethical way through a focus on innovation, investment and industry leading practices.”

Tristram Stuart, food waste campaigner and founder of drinks firm Toast Ale, welcomed the news from Tesco.

“We have been challenging Tesco and other supermarkets on transparent reporting of food waste for years now,” said Stuart.

“It’s time for other businesses to follow suit and for Tesco – along with the rest of the world’s supermarkets – to demonstrate, that their businesses are not inherently wasteful.”