Jul 31st, 2023
3 mins
Defra have now published a summary of responses and government response to the consultation they carried out last summer on ‘Improved food waste reporting by large food businesses in England’.
On 13 June 2022 the government’s Food Strategy announced the launch of the consultation and proposed options for how to go about ensuring this action.
The summary reveals that the predominant view from respondents (80%) was in favour of requiring food waste measurement and reporting for large food businesses. However, after careful consideration, and as only 39% of respondents identified as a large business, government has decided that a regulatory approach is not suitable at this time, especially when any additional costs may be passed on to consumers. The government will instead be looking at options to improve the number of food businesses reporting through a voluntary approach.
The voluntary approach will remain in place until mid-2025 at a minimum at which point a review will be undertaken. Subsequently, and in order to provide businesses with the certainty they need, any changes to this approach will be made after a minimum of 12 months following that review in mid-2025 or later.
Should you wish to refer back to the original consultation document or impact assessment, they can still be accessed here
