This is Rubbish

This is Rubbish aims to educate people about the scale of food waste in the UK, and to emphasise the fact that reducing this waste is the joint responsibility of people and companies.

* Less than 40% of UK food waste is produced by households.

* We want to see all retailers obliged to report on the food waste they generate in
their activities, with annual reports audited and publicised by an independent commission.

* We want the government to introduce an obligation upon retailers to reduce
food waste.

You can follow This is Rubbish on facebook,  twitter and flickr. Read the rest of this entry »

TiR were invited to run a food waste workshop at Hungry for Activism, which was a public food policy event taking place in Leeds Civic Hall on the 20th February.

The day started with an early rise and some last minute amendments of the very first TiR power point presentation, some carefully selected outfits and a healthy dose of porridge. Arriving at Leeds civic hall was a pleasant affair, a large ice rink stood in front of an even bigger building, that stood authoritatively and with a light grandiose.

When we entered the building, we were shown the TiR workshop / presentation room; the central council chamber. The room was a large oblong set out in a oval seating arrangement with a huge tapestry set behind the main desk, mahogany seats encircled the main floor and balcony viewing platforms sat at each end of the room. It felt very official and archaically political, which of course it was. Voting ballot boxes were set in discreet draws in front of every seat, likewise, every seat had its own microphone. I was reminded of images from Copenhagen conferences, which was more intimidating than exciting, but the setting really emphasized the very political nature of food waste, production and availability.

The workshop began with Kate introducing the history of TiR and how we came to exist; local bin diving leading onto wholesale skip salvaging, and public food waste feasting @ Feeding 5000. We went onto present the political principles that anchor TiR as a policy based anti food waste campaign. Realigning the public focus from individual food waste to industry food waste, proposing the introduction of an independent annual food waste audits, and implementing subsequent annual food waste reduction targets. I then went onto deliver a food waste fact presentation, that was actually a bit long, and will now be cut down to a more bite size format.

The Chuck out chain food waste game followed, with most audience members getting to their feet to become a human component of the food supply chain of a carrot and a potato. The aim of the game was for team members to organise themselves into the correct supply chain order for both carrots and potatoes, and then throw away the right quantities of food waste at every level of the supply chain. Players were randomly given cards with the supply chain part on them and a percentage of food waste. For example, Farm Surplus food supply chain part had to throw away 20% of carrots received, both bits of information was contained on the cards given to players. Once players got themselves in order, the supply chain was handed 100 units of carrots or potatoes, and at every stage the players had to throw away the right amount of food stuff, illustrating where food is wasted in the supply chain. After test playing with the public, the game would be better applied in the future as a role playing audience participation exercise, using audience members to embody parts of the supply chain rather than having the whole audience come and play the game. More role playing and dressing up elements could be incorporated, so the farmer gets to wear wellies and a farmers cap, a barley stalk in their mouth etc, and the processor gets to wear a hairnet and blue gloves etc. The game cards needed to be bigger to allow the more non-verbal players to hold up their supply chain cards and demonstrate to their food production team what part of the supply chain they were.

The game was followed by an open discussion which turned into more of a Q&A session. This was a style of dialogue between the 'panel" and the audience that I'd be keen to avoid in the future. This is because it can lock the audience into a position of learner rather than equal participants and contributors. TiR is eager to facilitate democratic and equal dialogue among ourselves and audience. Sitting in a circle and setting up smaller discussion groups would be a better format to deliver at our next public workshop.

All in all, the event was a success, but it's fair to say that it also functioned as a huge learning curve. It was the first public workshop / speaking event that those of us speaking had ever done, and we learnt valuable lessons. We did get lots of positive feedback (and a few constructive criticisms) and almost all members of the audience independently signed up to our mailing list, which we took as a sign of interest and validation of the relevance and usefulness of our first public presentation.

TiR attended The Soil Association Conference on Wednesday 3rd February 2010. The conference focused heavily on debating the contrasting farming methods of organic and conventional farming. In view of decreasing oil and fossil fuel availability, massively reduced soil fertility and chemically intensive agriculture, the onus was placed on the need for a radical transition from conventional intensive farming to a sustainable organic farming methodology.

Organic farming is different to intensive farming as it bans chemical fertilizers, heavily restricts the use of pesticides, disallows the use of chemical medicines, and antibiotics and instead encourages preventative livestock rearing methods such as maintaining larger fresher pastures and keeping smaller herds, GM feedstock for livestock is also prohibited. Conversely, conventional intensive farming frequently creates dense monocultures of crop and livestock, encouraging high yields through the thick application of chemical fertilizers, pesticides and dosing animals with chemical antibiotics. When synthetic fertilizers are applied to soil they are released quickly, so enabling rapid crop growth. However, the chemical fertilizers are an illusion of fertility as they maim living organisms in the soil. Once application is reduced, it takes a long time for the microbial life in the soil to recover. Such intense chemical application also decreases the soil organic matter, a vital range of ingredients that allows soil to lock up carbon, which if encouraged could be an effective carbon reduction land management method.

The farming, food production and supply system is complex, and we were interested to join in the debate and study sessions of subjects such as soil carbon and low carbon farming, however the main reason we went was to ask Hilary Benn a question from the floor. As one of the main speakers on food policy on the day, and the secretary of state for food environment and rural affairs. TiR thought he would be the ideal MP to question about plans to implement an obligatory annual food waste audit and subsequent food waste reduction targets across the food industry. When questioned about policy plans to reduce food waste in the supply chain, and whether or not such stringent regulations would be introduced to quantify and reduce food waste, he said no. His main reason was because such a system would be impossible to roll out and police. However, this is indolent thinking on the governments part. Main retailers often quantify how much they throw away, they just don't release it. If the data is already there then the government must force the retailers to declare their annual waste quantities and reveal their waste quantification methodologies. Waste auditing could even be based on simple arithmetic; quantities of stock is ordered in minus quantities of stock is sold, the remainder is surplus. The harder aspect of such waste reduction strategies would be to introduce a means of quantification that can be employed at every level of our myriad supply chain.

Surprisingly, it seems that it would be relatively easy to audit food waste arising at large manufacturing centres. In the UK and the EU large manufacturers are already required to report on tonnages of solid waste arising in their process under a regulation known as the Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC). Within this measuring mechanism, the quantification of food waste could also be introduced. This would immediately allow food waste reports to be conducted on 30 - 40% of the UK's food manufacturing industry. In terms of human resources, that dear old Benn might be worried about the expense of, Defra estimates that it would take only 2 employees to manage this entire scheme at a cost of £100,000 per year. If such a scheme was rolled out with the inclusion of food waste fines / tonne, the subsequent income generated from the tax could assist the funding of an industry wide food waste auditing scheme, covering catering, the public sector and farms.

The Food Industry Sustainability Strategy (FISS) proposes that food industries adopt a voluntary food waste reduction target of 3% annual food waste reduction from a 2006 baseline, this is unsatisfactory because it is a low target but also it is a non enforced action. In his book Waste, Tristram Stuart suggests that a 50% food waste reduction across main food industries should be incentivised over a period of 5 years. If reduction targets aren't met, then businesses will have to pay for the wastage of valuable food. This is Rubbish endorses the introduction of such waste reduction targets. In the first years of auditing and the adoption of food waste reduction targets, big businesses and main retailers should lead the way in demonstrating best low food waste practice. This would mean that the biggest wasters, reduce their waste initially and incur any costs due to the fact that such businesses have been central in accepting and concealing an incredibly edible waste problem. This main industry waste audit and reduction adoption would also mean that smaller businesses and local food producers and suppliers aren't disadvantaged; such businesses value their products far more than the excessive market monoliths so are inherently less wasteful.

The introduction of transparent annual mandatory food waste audits across all large food industries and the introduction of fiscally driven food waste reduction targets would see a huge and lasting reduction in food waste. The scheme will not be hard to implement at large scale, and would encourage business based on companies being able to demonstrate to the consumer that they are committed to environmental and social responsibility. Hilary Benn and the rest of them at DEFRA must push forward, taking EFRA's recommendation seriously. " We recommend that Defra requires food retailers and manufacturers to report the tonnages of food waste from their businesses at least on an annual basis. Defra should also work with the food industry to ensure that retailers give suppliers sufficient flexibility to be able to minimize wastage, including disseminating examples of industry best practice. "

TiR is campaigning solely on demanding a transparent food waste auditing policy across all main food industries, and the subsequent introduction of mandatory food waste reduction targets. We would like to see Tristram Stuarts 50% food waste reduction over the next 5 years, measured from a 2011 baseline (when the annual food waste audits should be introduced).

Such resource squanderance is not an isolated problem; it indicates how market superpowers devalue primary resources such as food, which is dependent on natural resources such as land, soil, water and soil fertility. It is not acceptable to throw away inherently valuable resources; food, soil and water. The resources that sustain food production and food itself are not commodities but vital resources that should be valued outsides the framework of money; the environment and the food that the natural world provides is to be conserved and maintained in a sustainable and respectful way. If the government doesn't act to reduce the levels of food waste arising within our supply chain, they are also disregarding the safeguarding of the environment and complex and irreplaceable ecosystems by not regulating rapacious and reckless capitalist markets.

TiR will carry on following Hilary Benn and his associates, continuing to ask just why they are so hesitant to introduce food waste quantification and reduction policies.

Books
Waste
Tristram Stuart
Publisher : Penguin (02 Jul 2009)
ISBN: 9780141036342
Tescopoly, How One Shop Came Out on Top and Why it Matters
Marcus Simms
IBSN; 9781845295110
Soil Not Oil: Environmental Justice in an Age of Climate Crisis
Vandana Shiva
Publisher: South End Press (October 1, 2008)
ISBN-10: 0896087824
The Political Economy of Diet, Health and Food Policy
Publisher: Routledge; 1 edition (November 10, 1998)
ISBN-10: 0415163668
Stolen Harvest: The Hijacking of the Global Food Supply
Vandana Shiva
Publisher: South End Press; Soft Cover edition (January 1, 2000)
ISBN-10: 0896086070
Stuffed and Starved: The Hidden Battle for the World Food System
Raj Patel
Publisher: Melville House; 398 edition (April 1, 2008)
ISBN-10: 1933633492
Local Food - how to make it happen in your community
Transition publications (2009)

Films
King Corn (2007)
The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil (2006)
Our Daily Bread (2006)
Super Size Me (2004)
Food, Inc. (2009)
End of the line (2009)
Slaughterhouse; the task of blood (2008)

On Wednesday 20th January This is Rubbish attended the Cymru WRAP Resource Efficiency conference in Cardiff. The conference was organised to discuss three main issues; how can businesses realise the benefits of reducing waste, how can resource efficiency help Wales achieve its climate change targets and how can WRAP Cymru and Government help. The conference bought together over 100 business leaders, environmental experts and members of the WAG Government.

Waking up early on Wednesday and going through the agenda, we weren't sure of how the conference really related to This is Rubbish's campaign objectives, as there was no specific mention of food waste. The focus was on reducing waste and maximising the efficient use of resources in general. The agenda looked broad and potentially too business- focused for our campaign to really be relevant in the context. We decided to go anyway and get our first taste of a corporate, political and expert waste reduction discussion.

Cycling through the sleet to the Swalec Stadium in Cardiff, we arrived somewhat disheveled. Walking past the large window of the lower foyer, we realised that we were dressed like practical cyclists and completely out of keeping with the style of our fellow attendees. This was a suited and booted affair, and we were dressed in bright yellow waterproofs, cherry print shoes and practical mountain gear. I considered if it was time for This is Rubbish to get some smart outing suits sorted.

We found our seats, necked some coffee and got our notebooks out. The conference was opened by Dr Liz Goodwin, CEO of WRAP, who set the tone for the day's proceedings. This was about the environment, but firstly it was about business. We were a pair of campaigners encouraging political advocacy in a room full of entrepreneurs. Welsh businesses could save up to £318 million a year by using resources more efficiently. Furthermore, resource efficiency could also prove to be a ‘secret weapon’ against climate change as it allows immediate action to meet pressing and challenging targets. As I looked around the pinstripe Blue sea, I wondered how many people were thinking of the environmental damage caused by food waste and how many were thinking of turning abundant food waste into money in the form of biogas. Goodwin's focus was on reducing the amount of valuable resources that go to waste by supporting businesses and individuals to "reap the benefits of waste". Every year, the UK consumes 680 million tonnes of materials, 50% of which ends up as waste. That really is unsustainable use of resources. WRAP's focus is to reduce the amount of stuff that is used in the first place, and turn the remaining waste into resources. I considered how they were planning to identify where food waste arises in our complex global food supply chain and reduce it wherever possible at the source. As Goodwin states, WRAP are committed to the Low Carbon Transition Plan, which requires an 18% cut in emissions from 2008 levels, by 2020, but methods of achieving this through waste reduction and resource efficiency were wrapped up in distracting financial incentives, and punctuated with business jargon.

Jane Davidson, Minister for the Environment, Sustainability & Housing gave the second speech, and she drew attention to the urgency of climate change, environmental degradation and resource depletion; giving the conference a clear sustainability slant. She very clearly located the problem of waste in the context of climate change, and drew attention to the amount of energy, fossil fuels and pollution that waste embodies. Continuing to declare that waste must become obsolete, she justified this statement by drawing attention to the fact that population is increasing while the planet’s natural resources are depleting. It was deeply satisfying to hear the WAG Environment minister orating the disregard that businesses and society had shown for environmental limits, and that many in the rich West have lost sight of wider consequences of our actions.

As Davidson demonstrated a commitment to abolish all waste and improve the management of all resources, I thought that she was the best person to ask a question or two about food waste reduction methods. At the end of her speech, she asked the floor for their questions. I introduced This is Rubbish, continuing to describe the Feeding the 5000 event. I went on to ask how likely a WAG and Westminster policy change would be, that would regulate all sectors of the food industry, demanding transparent, independently commissioned annual food waste audits and implementing obligatory annual food waste reduction targets. I also asked if such policy changes were something that WAG were developing, and if so what is the delivery date for such policy changes. Davidson firstly congratulated This is Rubbish for raising wide public awareness to the problem of food waste. That's nice. She went onto explain that WAG didn't have the political power to implement such national food industry regulations, and that Westminster were looking into reducing the problem of food waste within the food industry. So WAG can't lead the way on national policy, and doesn't have the power to regulate the Welsh food industry. Is this because the mammoth supermarkets are too powerful for WAG to regulate? This is Rubbish got a congratulatory mention from Jane Davidson, but what would be better is Welsh political leadership, implementing food waste reduction legislation, applicable to all sectors of the food industry. Such a move would surely be a positive contribution towards achieving the Welsh carbon reduction commitment; reducing C02 emissions by 3% pa from 2011.

As the conference went on there was a wide range of industries and waste topics mentioned. My ears pricked up whenever food was mentioned, and this happened frequently when we got onto the subject of anaerobic digesters. WAG has a Materials Action Program (MAP) that was launched in January 2008. The MAP Anaerobic Digestion Capital Support Program can provide up to 30% towards the capital costs of an AD facility. The investment can be used to fund plant and equipment (fixed or mobile) and related infrastructure. There is no limit on the size of scheme proposed, but the project must be able to prove that it is a long-term commercially viable project. In 2009, a further £26 million of new funding was announced by The Assembly Government; funding further anaerobic digestion schemes in Wales. WAG and WRAP are very keen to encourage the implementation of AD technologies in Wales, however, AD plants require a constant feedstock of organic matter; much of it potentially food waste. The primary food waste reduction measure to be taken and promoted is preventing the occurrence of food waste in the first place. The amount of energy recouped from turning food into bio energy is nominal. For example, putting a tone of tomatoes through AD would recoup less than 0.75% of the emissions released when producing the crop in the first place. The dichotomy is clear;: concentrating on solving the problem of food waste by sending it to AD plants to generate biogas and renewable energy necessitates food waste to be constantly arising. AD has its place, but is not a solution to be widely promoted before the food industry is made to meet ambitious annual waste reduction targets.

The second exciting thing to happen was when TiR got another question in, this time for the closing question. Liz Goodwin was up on the podium again, and I decided to fire a Q to her. My question to CEO of WRAP was, "What is WRAP doing to quantify and report on where food waste is occurring in the entire UK food supply chain?" Her answer was that DEFRA are currently working on a food product waste map, and that this is research in process, giving indicators of where most food waste arises. There wasn't time for much more detail, so I went to catch her at the end of the conference to ask her in to elaborate on this 'mapping' project. She gave me her card and said she was happy to answer emails. I'm now waiting for a reply from Richard Swannell, the WRAP director of design and waste minimisation who runs the project to get back to me......

All in all, an eye-opening event for TiR, with relevant questions asked and promising links made. Lovely.

Feeding the 5000 was a fantastic event, and something that This is Rubbish are extremely proud of being an active part of. We did it first and foremost to draw attention to the epic problem of food waste occurring in the UK and globally. We also were there to refocus attention the where the most food is wasted and suggest methods of reducing the severe scale of food waste that currently occurs at every stage of our food supply chain. We feel TiR's communication objectives were achieved; not only did over 4000 people attend the event and feast on food that otherwise would've been wasted, the event received lots of media coverage. A sure fire way to raise public attention about the problem of food waste and propose practical and policy based solutions.

Please see below for all the press coverage that the event received. What a success!

PRINT

Independent – news story 30th November

Observer (review) - interview with Tristram – Sunday 13th (attached)

Daily Mail – full page piece by Tristram –14th Dec (attached)

Evening Standard – news story – Tuesday 15th

Times – full page comment piece – Tues 15th (attached)

Press Association – news story Tues 15th

Times – Universal Daily Register – Wed 16th (attached)

Evening Standard – piece by Rosie Boycott – Wed 16th (attached)

Metro – news and photo story – Thurs 17th (attached)

Guardian – leader – Thurs 17th (attached)

FT- Lunch with the FT – taking place today at Wahaca – 26th December

ONLINE:

BBC News – news story - wed 16th

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/8415118.stm

Guardian – video – Wed 16th Dec

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/dec/16/food-waste-campaign-trafalgar-square

Guardian podcast with Tristram and Tommi – Thursday 17th
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/blog/audio/2009/dec/17/guardian-daily-podcast

Independent – Wed 16th

http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/green-living/free-lunches-handed-out-to-highlight-food-waste-1842653.html

New Statesman –Wed 16th

http://www.newstatesman.com/blogs/the-staggers/2009/12/food-waste-global-problem

Ecologist – interview with Tristram – date tbc

Hundreds of mentions of the event (build-up and after) on food/social/environment/NGO blogs and websites as well as 'what’s on' sites.

BROADCAST COVERAGE – From the Square

TV

BBC1 - BBC Breakfast at 6.50am, 7.50am and 8.50am – Wed 16th

BBC London TV – piece on lunchtime bulletin (using footage from BBC Breakfast) - Wed 16th

ITN multimedia – interview with Tristram - Thursday 17th
http://itn.co.uk/tags/book.html
- Show quoted text -
Il Sole 24ore
[Other Italian press TBC by LMM]

Metro International Newspapers - multi-language editions went out today (thurs 17th)

BBC Persia - interviewed Tristram

Also freelance photographers from Norwegian and Russian outlets

Swedish radio

Feeding the 5000 was a monumental indicator of the scale of food waste, and This is Rubbish was there to offer tasty testaments of the problem and practical policy based solutions. The symbolism of the event was potent while the physical actuality of the situation was far more vivid. Feeding the 5000 was a feast of epic proportions, and was made possible by the fact that there is so much food waste occurring in the global food supply chain. It is an ironic situation; delivering delicious food for free is not a gift, in this case it is a symptom of a fatally flawed system. When natural resources are scarce, 1 in 6 people suffer from malnutrition and food price spikes are set to become more frequent, we cannot tolerate such indecent squandering of food, and so as a form of resistance we had a This is Rubbish gathering in Trafalgar Square to feast on the waste. Achim Steiner, UNEP Executive Director, states that " More than half the food produced today is either lost, wasted or discarded because of inefficiency, there is evidence … that the world could feed the entire projected population growth alone by becoming more efficient while also ensuring the survival of wild animals, birds and fish on this planet," With such a large figure of edible food becoming waste being estimated, the question is where and how is this happening? This is Rubbish examines the home turf, in the belief that all change starts at home.

The British grocery market is monopolised by large retailers, the big four grocery retailers had a combined market share of 78% in November 2008, and continue to maintain a stranglehold on the market. This is interesting as it is these supermarkets that control where and how we get hold of our food. As This is Rubbish likes to point out, most of the focus of the problem of food waste has been directed onto the individual, however only around 40% of food waste occurs in the home, and the rest of it is happening further up the supply chain. Many of the This is Rubbish retinue are freegans, and all one has to do is to slip into the backyard bins of supermarket stores (which are funnily enough often wrapped in barbed wire, as if they contain dangerous criminals, which is how the supermarkets will come to be seen if they don't manage their food supply chain sustainably) to see how much food is chucked at the retail component of the supply chain. This is only a small proportion of food waste that the supermarkets are responsible for generating. Food waste of vast quantities occur at every stage of the food supply chain, and this food supply chain primarily serves to sustain the supermarket shelf. So the question is, what can the public do about this covetous and dismissive culture? Well, firstly we can all change our own behaviour, working hard to minimise food waste in the home, and then we can lobby and campaign.

At Feeding the 5000 This is Rubbish managed to secure the signatures of almost 1000 people agreeing with our proposed policy change. The political asks that This is Rubbish advocate are that all supermarkets are made to publish annual reports quantifying amounts of food waste generated, conducted by an independent auditor. We then wish to see annual food waste reduction targets set and met, so that supermarkets are held accountable for the amount of food waste they generate and then made to meet reduction targets. Seeing as no supermarket currently publishes quantities of food waste they generate, the only way we can reveal such a dismissive culture is to dive into bins and follow the retail food supply chain from farm to shelf. Various campaigners have examined at what stage food waste occurs in the supermarket supply chain, and WRAP are about to publish a report examining where food waste occurs in the supply chain. However, the point is that the revelation of food waste should not be left to the action of lone campaigners and seminal investigative reports, but policy needs to implemented that makes it obligatory for supermarkets to report on the amount of edible food that leaks out of their supply chain at every link and give good reason for such squanderance. If you would like to support our campaign, please sign our letter addressed to Dan Norris and join our facebook group to keep up to date with our campaign plans. Feeding the 5000 was a fantastically powerful event that clearly demonstrated the scale and severity of the problem of food waste, and it is from such a potent birth that This is Rubbish intends to sculpt its youthful and dedicated campaign from.

Yesterday in zero degree temperatures, and an almost constant light snowfall, people turned up at Trafalgar Square in their thousands to enjoy that rarest of occasions, a free lunch. Luckily for the assembled crowd This is Rubbish also braved the weather and provided delicious fruit smoothies to compliment the hot curry (all made from food that would have otherwise been wasted). The smiles all around make it clear we were in support. The question on everyone’s lips, ‘what is wrong with the food?’ no one could understand why our delicious feast was available to all for free and more than a few people where outraged and even quite visibly moved that in a world where millions die from-- and hundreds of millions suffer from--malnutrition, all this food was destined for landfill or anaerobic digestion.

Given this setting: people eating free food prepared by us and questioning how that could even be possible, it probably isn’t surprising that we received a good reception. However, I think that it’s fair to say we where all overwhelmed by just how well things went. A group of us talked to people in the crowd and in the queue explaining our focus on retailers and talking about our aims. In this way we managed to get many hundreds of letters to Dan Norris signed (print your own off here). Once people had read the letter and had it explained I didn’t experience even one refusal to support our demands. For us this was a revelation, confirmation that the British public are not only fully supportive of mandatory rather than voluntary commitments to food waste, but that they understand the need for transparency on a supermarket by supermarket basis on how much food waste these businesses produce.

We ended the day on a high, emboldened by the level of public support and confident that food waste is an issue of concern for people of all political persuasions. We will continue to emphasise the fact that only 40% of food waste can be pinned on the domestic consumer and we will continue to push for supermarkets to be held accountable for much of the remainder due to there direct role and their influence on upstream processes. In particular we feel that we have broad support for our two starting point demands:

1. Annual food waste accounting with data audited by an independent commission and made publicly available.
2. Year on year food waste reduction targets for all the major retailers with real financial penalties if these targets are missed.

We are very pleased with our reception. Clearly the This is Rubbish message isn’t wasted on Londoners.  We look forward to more exciting events and building our campaign on a very solid start. Anyone interested in getting involved in our campaign, please contact us on info@thisisrubbish.org.uk.

If you are one of the HUNDEREDS of people who signed our letter to Dan Norris and you want to get more coppies to send to him yourself then try this page out; there is also a draft letter for your MP, building up support from MP's  is well worth it.