Food waste prevention inquiry continues with evidence from retail and food industry organisations

In the first session the Committee will focus on the food industry's reluctance to see binding EU targets to reduce food waste, how the retailers can respond to criticism that their demands for standardised produce leads to waste on farms and what more can be done in research and innovation to develop new approaches to reduce food waste.  

At the heart of the second session will be "The Pig Idea", a campaign to remove an EU ban on the feeding of some catering waste to pigs and chickens. The session will explore the removal of cosmetic standards for food, so that so-called ugly vegetables are not wasted, and potential requirements for food businesses to report on food waste, a good example of which already operates in Norway.

The Committee will hear first from:  

• Mr Andrew Opie, Director of Food and Sustainability, British Retail Consortium (BRC)
• Mr David Bellamy, Environment Policy Manager, Sustainability Division, Food and Drink Federation (FDF)
• Mr Andrew Kuyk, Director, Sustainability Division, FDF

  At the 11:30 am the Committee will then take evidence from:   

• Ms Niki Charalampopoulou, Campaigns and Policy Manager, Feeding the 5,000
• Mr Duncan Williamson, Food Policy Manager, WWF

The evidence sessions will start at 10.30 am on Wednesday 30 October in Committee Room 2 of the House of Lords.

The session will be webcast at www.parliamentlive.tv and is also open to the public. Journalists wishing to attend should go to Parliament's Cromwell Green Entrance and should allow time for security screening.