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Food: Waste

Asked by Jim McMahonLabour (Co-op)Department for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled Answered 8 December 2025UIN 96674

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans does the Government have to reduce food waste in the public sector.

Answered by Mary Creagh

Defra's Food and Drink Waste Hierarchy outlines how all businesses, including those which supply the public sector, should deal with food surplus and waste, preventing food surplus where possible and redistributing any surplus should it arise. Defra funds the groundbreaking UK Food and Drink Pact, a voluntary agreement with industry to tackle food waste, managed by the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP). Through the Pact, we support the Food Waste Reduction Roadmap, which provides a toolkit to help businesses identify their food surplus and waste and take steps to reduce it.

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