Boris Johnson has been branded cruel for cutting funding to a scheme that diverted the massive waste of good food in farming and catering to foodbanks.
SNP MP Chris Stephens confronted the Tory leader on why the UK government has cut funding for a planned £15 million scheme allowing organisations to move food which was going to waste onto people’s plates.
The Glasgow South West MP said the scheme, which supports a community supermarket in his constituency, was in danger of shutting down.
At Prime Minister’s Questions, Stephens said: “Over two million tonnes of edible food is wasted on farms and factories every year and funding was introduced in 2019 to cover costs of getting that food to charities to reach those in need.”
“However, the UK government has now cut that critical funding to zero.”
Stephens added: “Funding for food waste diversion helps to support community projects like Threehills Community Supermarket in Glasgow.”
“Can the Prime Minister explain why he is ignoring calls from Feeding Britain, Good Food Scotland, and FareShare to continue this worthwhile initiative and instead cutting off a lifeline to those struggling with the cost of living crisis?”
A multi-million pound pilot scheme was launched with fanfare by the then Environment Minister, Michael Gove, in 2019.
It aimed to enable existing food redistribution companies to take more surplus food from manufacturers and retailers and stop it going to waste.
An estimated 100,000 tonnes of food in the UK, equating to 250 million meals a year, which is edible and readily available goes uneaten.
Instead, this food is sent away for generating energy from waste, anaerobic digestion or animal feed.
Speaking afterwards Stephens said: “It tells you everything you need to know about the cruel priorities of the Tory party that having set up a scheme to tackle food poverty they have decided to end it during a cost of living crisis.”
The PM must commit to renewing the scheme to help those struggling the most and end the immoral waste of food.”
FareShare, an umbrella organisation which represents 30 food warehouses across the UK , said the scheme had proved value for money and should continue.
A spokesman for FareShare said: “We haven’t seen an extension of funding. We’re calling for £5 million a year for farmers to package and distribute so-called waste food. That funding would result in 53 million meals-worth of food going to people in need that would otherwise rot in the fields or get sent to landfill.”
The Department for Food and Rural Affairs has been approached for comment.
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