Every day in the UK, supermarkets throw away large amounts of edible food. Much of this food is still within its use-by date and perfectly safe to eat. This is happening while millions of people rely on food banks and community support. The scale of this waste is unacceptable, unethical and damaging to both society and the environment.

Here are some of the facts:

• The UK wastes around 10–11 million tonnes of food every year. WRAP estimates that total UK food waste in 2021 was about 10.7 million tonnes, most of it perfectly avoidable.
• Retailers alone waste around 280,000 tonnes of food every year, the equivalent of about 190 million meals thrown away.
• Most of this “waste” is actually edible. WRAP data shows that in households alone, about 73 per cent of food thrown away is the edible part, not peels or bones.
• Food banks are under massive pressure. The Trussell Trust handed out 2.9 million emergency food parcels in 2024/25, over 1 million of which went to children.
• Food rotting in landfill produces methane, a greenhouse gas far more powerful than carbon dioxide. Food waste is a major driver of emissions and environmental damage.
• Other countries have already acted. France passed a law in 2016 that bans supermarkets from destroying unsold food and forces them to donate it instead.

I am calling on the Government to introduce legally binding requirements for all major food retailers. Specifically:

1. Mandatory donation of edible food.
   Supermarkets must donate all safe, edible, unsold food to food banks, charities, community kitchens or redistribution organisations before disposing of it.
2. Significant fines for discarding edible food.
   Penalties must be high enough to make waste more costly than donation.
3. A ban on preventing charities or the public from taking safe, sealed, in-date food.
   Supermarkets should not be locking bins, blocking access or threatening people who are trying to stop edible food from being destroyed.
4. Public reporting of supermarket food waste.
   Supermarkets should publish clear information on:
   • How much food they throw away
   • How much of that food is still edible
   • How much is donated
   • Why items were discarded (overstock, damaged packaging etc.)

Why this matters

Throwing away edible food while people go hungry is morally wrong. It increases landfill emissions, drives up costs and undermines the work of food banks. A donation-first legal requirement would save millions of meals each year and help families who genuinely need support.

Voluntary guidelines have failed. It is time for enforceable laws to stop supermarkets destroying safe, usable food. No supermarket should be allowed to throw away edible food while people in this country are struggling to feed themselves.