Reducing food waste
Reducing food waste in businesses
Why reduce food waste?
If food waste was to be a country, it would be the third-greatest emitter of greenhouse gas emissions, behind China and the USA.
Food waste that is produced and not consumed accounts for approximately 8-10% of greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, land greater than the size of China is required to grow this uneaten food, not to mention other resources such as water, which are needed. In the grand scheme of things, this is not a cost-effective use of resources. Let’s look at how we can protect the environment, along with your business's bottom line.
Take action:
- Target: set a goal within the business to reduce food waste, aligning it with the Sustainable Development Goal 12.3 to halve food waste and loss by 2030
- Measure: understanding where and why food waste is occurring, by keeping track over a period of time
- Act: by implementing best practices and resources to reduce food waste and loss
On average, for every pound (£) that is invested in taking action to reduce food waste:
- Measuring waste
- Training staff
- Improving inventory management
- Changing packaging
There will be a £10 return:
- Selling imperfect produce
- Creating new products
- Reducing waste management costs
- Avoiding cost of food not sold
Food waste prevention resources
View our food waste prevention resource pack
Further information and resources
- Guardians of grub (guardiansofgrub.com)
- By the numbers: The business case for reducing food loss and waste (wri.org)
- School food waste - food is not rubbish (schoolfoodmatters.org)
Last updated: 01/04/2026 12:23
