Food Waste Reduction Roadmap 2020 Progress report

Published on January 23, 2022

WRAP and IGD have led an industry-wide programme of work developing a roadmap fo rhow the UK food industry will help achieve UN Sustianable Development Goal 12.3 on Food Loss & Waste, consulting widely with businesses, trade bodies and others from agriculture, production and manufacture, retail and hospitality and food service. The Food Waste Reduction Roadmap incorporates all parts of the supply chain from field to fork to get “Targets, Measures and Actions” in the business field that reduce food waste in their own operations, join in partnership with suppliers and consumers.

WRAP and IGD are inviting businesses to participate in whole chain food waste reduction plans (WCPs) - working together across the supply chain to take joint actions that reduce farm to fork food waste. WCPs form a key deliverable of the Courtauld Commitment 2030 and the UK Food Waste Reduction Roadmap. Supporters of the Roadmap have committed to Target, Measure, Act to reduce their own food waste, work in partnership with suppliers, and hlep consumers. Access the toolkit here.

The UK's largest retailers, food producers, manufacturers, and hospitality and food service companies have committed to milestones laid out in the Food Waste Reduction Roadmap, developed by IDG and WRAP to tackle food wase in the UK. To accompany the Roadmap and Toolkit there is a range of guidance and templates to help businesses to 'Target, Measure and Act' on food waste.

“Target, Measure and Act”, this three steps are the keystone of the Food Waste Reduction Roadmap, that aim food and drink businesses to help to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal 12.3: seeks to halve global food waste at retail and consumer levels, as well as to reduce food loss during production and supply. This ambitious project tries to embedded into business culture and operations several targets to achieve either the Courtlaud Commitment 2025 for all United Kingdom, being the leading voluntary instrument of the nation with the food and drink sector to reach UN SDG 12.3.

Food Waste Reduction Roadmap is essential because enabling food and drink businesses to manage their own resources as efficiently as possible, also increase their resilience and ensure that all food surplus can be used, either through distribution to people or transform into other resources, rather than ending up as waste. Furthermore, one of the most aspiring aims of the Roadmap is to have all of the UK´s large food businesses implementing “Target, Measure, Act” by 2026, that is why the Food Waste Reduction Roadmap Progress Report 2020 outlines the progress that has been made to date.

The 2020 Report details key achievements in the food and drink sector. Since 2019, 57 new food businesses have signed the commitment with other 19 supporting organizations from the waste management sector. In addition, 171 businesses had provided evidence that the program were implemented, around 80% of those committed to the Roadmap with the combined turnover of that businesses over £200bn, representing 50% of the overall turnover for UK food manufacture, retail and hospitality and food service. Additionally, 45 businesses publicly reported that 17% reduction in food waste, more than 180,000 tons of food saved (around £300m).

The reduction of the whole chain food waste is an end-to-end challenge and requires a holistic solution, that is why The G7, the Committee for Climate Change and National Food Strategy have emphasized the significance of the SDG 12.3 to be achieved, including the essential role to reach net zero.