Tesco boss Dave Lewis heads up campaign to crack down on food waste

Lewis is chairing a coalition of 30 leaders from business, governments, UN agencies, foundations and other non-governmental organisations from across the globe on the high-profile campaign, which was launched at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland earlier today.

The group has been formed in a bid to slash the amount of food wasted between farm and fork.

A third of all food produced is never consumed due to overproduction and wastage in the West, while spoilage is the primary reason for food wastage in developing countries.

The campaign, dubbed Champions 12.3 in honour of sustainable developmental goal 12.3 to halve global food waste levels per capital by 2030, aims to build political momentum towards that target.

According to the Waste and Resources Action Programme (Wrap), the UK wastes around 15 million tonnes of food a year. Around 7 million tonnes of the waste stems from householders, but an estimated 3 million tonnes is destroyed by farmers before it leaves the farm gate.

Lewis said: “Reducing food loss and waste is a significant global challenge and it’s very important that business plays its part.

“At Tesco, we’re committed to tackling food waste not only in our own operations but also through strong and effective partnerships with our suppliers and by helping our customers reduce waste and save money.

“This is an opportunity for businesses to work together and make a real difference to Target 12.3.”