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Dept for Environment Food and Rural Affairs

Answer

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what (a) tonnage and (b) value of food was dumped by the food industry in landfill sites or incinerated because it had passed the sell-by date in the last year for which figures are available. [208200] Mr. Morley: The data are not available in the form requested. The Government are currently consulting on a waste data strategy, designed to improve the quality of waste data in the interests of all potential users. The Environment Agency's National Waste Production Survey (NWPS) of 20,000 businesses, conducted in 1998-99, produced the following estimates in respect of food waste: _________________________________________________________________________________________________. Sector Quantity of waste in tonnes As percentage of food waste As percentage of total waste produced by the commercial and produced by the commercial and industrial sectors industrial sectors Retail 253,000 9.77 0.29 Hotels and restaurants 10,000 0.38 0.01 Food, drinks and tobacco 1,939,000 74.89 2.24 Total 2,202,000 85.04 2.54 _________________________________________________________________________________________________. However these figures only relate to that fraction of the waste that is definitely food. A considerable amount of food waste was also contained within the general and biodegradable category. The Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) estimate that the amount of food waste produced by the hotel and restaurant sector, for example, could be as high as 3 million tonnes per year. From 1 January 2006 the Animal By-Products Regulation (EC) No 1774/2002 will prohibit the use of landfill for the disposal of former foodstuffs containing material of animal origin which originate in food manufacturing and retail premises. Also, I understand that a number of multiple retailers have voluntary initiatives in place to make use of unsold food products. The Government support diverting foodstuffs away from landfill and provides funding for various measures that offer value-for-money in terms of diverting waste from landfill.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

429 c943W;429 c947W; 208200

Session

2004-05

Subjects

Catering Animal products EU law Landfill Food Incinerators Safety Retail trade Waste disposal Date marking

Contains statistics

Yes

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk