The Scottish government has pledged to cut food waste by a third by 2025, claiming it will save businesses and households across the country at least £500m.
“The Scottish Food Waste Reduction Target is the first of its kind in Europe,” said environment secretary Richard Lochhead.
“Pledging to cut food waste by 33% by 2025 will put Scotland at the forefront of global action to tackle food waste, and will put us on track to deliver the UN Sustainable Development Goal of halving food waste by 2030.”
He highlighted that household food waste in Scotland has decreased by an estimated 37,000 tonnes per year – 5.7% overall – since 2009, the equivalent of £92 million a year.
“We have identified four priority areas where we can make the biggest environmental and economic impact: food and drink, energy infrastructure, remanufacturing and construction,” added Lochhead.
“A more circular economy, where we make things last, is an economic, environmental and moral necessity – and it just makes good sense.”
The Scottish government said Scotland’s enterprise agencies, SEPA and Zero Waste Scotland, would drive the strategy.
The move comes ahead of plans for a greater focus on food waste under the wider UK grocery industry’s Courtauld Commitment which is still being negotiated by Wrap.
However the SNP appears to have decided it will go it alone on waste policy and it claims to have taken a lead, targeting the food and drink industry as one of the priority areas in the strategy.
Wrap is due to launch of its Courtauld Commitment 2025 due next month.
“It’s really encouraging to see the Scottish government’s strong commitment to tackling food waste. Achieving a 33% reduction is going to be a challenge, so we all need to work collaboratively on this issue,” said a Wrap spokeswoman.
“Wrap’s work with the industry under Courtauld Commitment 2025 will have a real role in bringing everyone together to achieve this.”
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