The NGO Feedback has launched legal action against the government’s Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) for failing to take meaningful action to tackle food waste.
It comes after the government announced that it was scrapping plans to introduce mandatory reporting on food waste until at least 2025.
“The government’s decision to scrap its plans to introduce mandatory waste reporting for large and medium businesses is perplexing at best and illegal at worst,” said Feedback executive director Carina Millstone.
“Our lawyers’ letter to the Secretary of State sets out why she must reverse her decision, which flagrantly ignores her own evidence, the advice of her own experts and the preference of the vast majority of consultation respondents,” she added.
She continued: “Mandatory food waste reporting is a no-brainer, and the government can’t simply ditch it if it is to tackle the climate emergency”.
In a previous consultation on the proposed laws, 99% of respondents expressed support, including 79% of retailers.
Subscribe to Sustainability Beat for free
Sign up here to get the latest sustainability news sent straight to your inbox each morning
Ministers have previously been criticised for the decision by the grocer Tesco, with a spokesperson telling Sustainability Beat that recent measures to reduce food waste have helped more product get to more customers.
“However, we need the globally recognised principle of ‘Target, Measure, Act’ to identify food waste and drive it out of the system,” the spokesperson added.
“Introducing mandatory food waste reporting remains a critical ask of policymakers to embed this change across the industry,” they continued.
According to food waste charity the Felix Project, the UK wastes around 10 million tonnes of food each year, with less than 1% of the waste being recycled.