A group of food retailers, manufacturers, wholesalers and foodservice operators have signed up to a plan to cut 75,000 tonnes of waste from their supply chains by the end of 2012.
The 33 IGD members have also set a target of diverting a further 150,000 tonnes of waste from disposal, mainly from landfill and sewerage, to more productive outputs such as anaerobic digestion.
Gavin Chappell, supply chain director of Asda, said: “Consumers these days hate waste of any kind, therefore as retailers, manufacturers, foodservice operators and wholesalers we all have a role to play in ensuring the supply chain is as efficient as possible.
“Our end goal should be to eradicate waste and ensure everything that leaves the factory door gets to its final destination in the same mint condition as when it left.”
This pledge comes as research by IGD has revealed that 29 per cent of shoppers think reducing waste should be one of the main sustainability priorities for food and grocery retailers and manufacturers.
Joanne Denney-Finch, chief executive, IGD, said: “Food and grocery businesses are striving continually to reduce waste from their operations. This has resulted in the majority of the product and packaging waste from their supply chain being recycled or recovered, rather than disposed of.
“The industry is now strengthening further its emphasis on supply chain waste prevention. This includes not producing the waste in the first place or redistributing it to alternative markets and charities.”
