Tesco boss calls for food waste action

By Gwen Ridler

- Last updated on GMT

Tesco boss Dave Lewis urged businesses to reduce food waste
Tesco boss Dave Lewis urged businesses to reduce food waste

Related tags Food waste

Food manufacturers need to do more to reduce food waste across the supply chain, according to Tesco ceo Dave Lewis.

Speaking at the Global Summit of the Consumer Goods Forum in Cape Town on Wednesday (June 15), Lewis urged businesses – Including food manufacturers – to be more transparent about how much food they waste.

Cutting time out of the supply chain was key to reducing food waste, claimed Lewis, and would also provide consumers with fresher produce that lasted longer.

“When I arrived at Tesco, we were the only UK retail company to publish our food waste data,”​ Lewis claimed.

“What the data shows is that it’s clear where we need to focus our efforts. Nearly three years after we announced it, we are still the only UK retailer publishing our data.”

‘Only UK retailer’

Lewis also called on companies to do more to redistribute their surplus edible food waste to people in need.

He also talked about Tesco’s ‘Perfectly Imperfect’ range of produce that reduced food waste by widening specifications to take more of the crop. 

In response to Lewis’s claims, Food and Drink Federation (FDF) corporate affairs director Tim Rycroft told FoodManufacture.co.uk its members were working hard to reduce avoidable food waste across the whole supply chain.

He said: “While the majority of food waste arises from the home, industry recognises the need to lead by example.

Food waste priority

“Our first priority must be to reduce food waste, we recognise that. Where surpluses are unavoidable, these can be redistributed to help address food shortages.

“FDF will continue to work with our partners to ensure that, wherever appropriate, surplus food can be used to make a positive difference.”

Meanwhile, a new global food waste standard​ aimed at saving consumers and the food industry money, while alleviating pressure on natural resources, has been described as a “breakthrough”​ by its backers.

The ‘Food loss and waste accounting and reporting standard’ was launched at the Global Green Growth Forum 2016 Summit in Copenhagen on June 6.

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2 comments

Great News and GOOD Example

Posted by Paul Sebastian Congiu,

All food. Industry should follow in this direction. Well done Dave.

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The Great Lean Debacle

Posted by Richard Shipperbottom,

There's a huge push for implementing automotive style lean practices in food manufacturing which because of poor understanding is actually leading to more waste!
Tesco CEO Lewis is absolutely right - cutting time out of the supply chain is key - something we're doing for clients, sure, but more and more at AA we find we have to undo poor lean implementations and re-educate 'converts' to the right way to service their customers at lowest cost.

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