Going through the bins behind a supermarket might not be the
traditional way of doing the weekly shop, but after three men were arrested for
‘skipping’ from bins behind an Iceland in North London questions certainly need
to be asked.
No, not a criminal prosecution of the aforementioned men,
but of the supermarkets themselves.
To say there is a global food shortage is a misnomer, as
certain parts of the world have plenty to eat, but there is certainly a disparity
in global food supply.
However, while people starve in across the world
supermarkets in the UK are throwing away thousands of tonnes of perfectly good
food every week.
So while the Crown Prosecution Service may have decided not
to press charges against the ‘Iceland Three’ perhaps we should all be
disappointed the supermarkets will avoid the inevitable media exposure the
trial would bring.
There are many faults in the way food is distributed and
purchased in the UK and across the developed world and it is staggering to
think the major high street supermarkets can dispose of so much of their
product and still turn a substantial profit.
Would a similarly positioned clothes retailor simply throw
out unsold stock?
No, at the very worst it remaining stock would be put on
sale or sold at TK Maxx, but then again the majority of retailors do not have
to deal with those pesky sell-by and use-by dates and it this is a central part
of the problem.
Sell-by dates are unquestionably an important part of food
retailing and essential for supermarkets.
The fallout from a food-poisoning scare traced back to a
supermarket could be colossal.
However, to protect themselves against this sell-by dates
are overly cautious and often the food is perfectly good for consumption days
and even weeks after what is printed on the label.
Unfortunately, because of these arbitrary limits any food
still on display after the sell-by date is simply thrown away, with no regard
for whether or not it is actually fit for consumption.
Fresh fruit and vegetables are a prime example of this.
Anyone who have ever bought fruit from a supermarket
‘Reduced to Clear’ section knows it is often not only not past its sell-by
date, but often not even ripe.
Any regular scavengers of the ‘Reduced to Clear’ section
will also know not all produce going out of date on a particular day ever makes
its way to this discounted section, begging the question why supermarkets would
rather throw food away than sell it at a reduced price.
And can someone explain to me why there is always cheese on
reduced to clear? Cheese is basically mould anyway and certainly does not need
a strict best-before date.
It is unclear what exactly needs to be done about this
problem.
Supermarkets certainly need to display a use-by date on food
to protect themselves and nobody can blame them, particularly when it comes to
meat products and poultry in particular.
However, a bit of common sense certainly needs to be applied
both in terms of the dates actually placed on packaging and the disposal of
foods which are clearly not passed its best.
This, combined with the ridiculous demand for standardised vegetables
(I really don’t care if the cucumber is not perfectly straight and since when
have you been able to grow potatoes all the same size) would go a long way to
reducing the UKs demand for food and so increasing the global supply.
So what could be done?
Well for starters better training of supermarket employees
so a sensible decision can be reached on whether or not food is fit for
consumption would drastically reduce the amount of fresh fruit and vegetables throw-away
from supermarket shelves.
Secondly, a more sensible approach to foods which do not
need a sell by date, such as frozen goods, cheese and processed foods which are
not going to go off in the same way as fresh ones.
Thirdly, an investigation involving the major food retailers,
farmers and DEFRA to establish the optimal times to harvest crops, so unripe
foods are not sold before they are ready, and a wider study into the use of
sell-by and use-by dates on meat and poultry.
Lastly, a sensible plan about what to do with food which would
otherwise be disposed of, because it is not right it is simply thrown in a skip
rather than being used to help those who cannot afford to put food on the
table.
Unfortunately, because the Iceland ‘skipping’ case will now
not go to court the supermarkets will not have to answer these perfectly reasonable
questions as part of a national debate and so will continue to throw away tens
of thousands of tonnes of perfectly good food while a billion people worldwide
go hungry.
