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Food: Waste

Asked by Dr Al PinkertonLiberal DemocratDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled Answered 3 December 2025UIN 94860

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help reduce levels of food waste in Surrey Heath constituency.

Answered by Mary Creagh

Defra funds the groundbreaking UK Food and Drink Pact, a voluntary agreement with industry to tackle food waste in supply chains. We also fund a programme of action delivered by The Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), to tackle household food waste and help people buy what they need and use what they buy. Through the farm surplus fund, we have allocated £13.5 million and are working with farmers and charities in England to ensure more surplus fresh produce is redistributed to those who need it most.

Surrey Heath Borough Council has received over £35,000 to help transition to weekly food waste collections. As confirmed in the outcomes of the Spending Review 2025, ongoing resource funding for food waste services from 1 April 2026 will be included in the Local Government settlement.

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