UK food waste up 60% due to supply chain crisis 

The UK’s biggest companies have reported a 60% increase in food waste over the last six months, according to a new study by Sodexo. The causes are a combination of the war in Ukraine, labour shortages and the cost-of-living crisis.

“The first step towards cutting food waste is tracking and monitoring,” said Sodexo UK and Ireland director of corporate responsibility Claire Atkins-Morris said. “More broadly, we urge government to take a holistic approach to all areas which will determine the success of net zero policy making, including food waste, carbon reduction and supply chain resilience.”

WRAP’s head of policy and insights, Keith James, added: “Every business can make a difference by instigating the Target-Measure-Act approach, but not all have the flexibility to adopt strategies quickly with competing pressures. That is why WRAP published new Scope 3 protocols for measuring GHG emissions linked to the food we make, sell and eat.”

The study also found that 85% of food supply chain heads reported the pandemic has caused long-term damage to their supply chain from which they are yet to recover. About 35% of firms participating in the survey will be forced to continue increasing prices due to the difficulties in managing their supply chains, with 32% believing their supply chain will not return to optimum efficiency for a full year. Around 44% reported being impacted by labour shortages, with 38% affected by freight challenges in their supply chain.