Leading food companies sent 600,000 tonnes of food waste to landfill and a further 720,000 tonnes to anaerobic digestion according to their latest figures, a new report reveals. The anonymised figures come from 16 of the world’s major companies who reported as part of the Consumer Goods Forum’s Food Waste Coalition of Action.

Only 16 of the 21 companies in the group provided figures, however, and Wrap said only 10 out of those 16 had provided figures allowing it to work out how much food had been sold and wasted, therefore the figures needed to be “treated with caution”.

Companies in the Consumer Goods Forum’s Food Waste Coalition for Action were responsible for 2.12 million tonnes of food waste, according to their latest figures. The figures cover a 2021 baseline and show nearly 929,000 tonnes of waste came from retailers, with 1.19 million tonnes coming from manufacturers.

The move comes amid a looming court battle in the UK over the government’s decision to backtrack on plans to make major food companies report on their food waste figures.

The CGF, have stated “It is now well known that addressing food loss and waste can have a huge impact, not just in reducing hunger but also in mitigating the effects of climate change.

“Public reporting on food loss and waste is widely recognised as a trigger for rapid and effective action. This baseline report represents a line in the sand for our coalition, and we are confident that it will help guide our 2030 roadmap to ensure we fully understand the challenges and opportunities to end food waste.”