New Bill Calls For Supermarkets To Donate Spare Food.

Under proposals for a bill drawn up by a Labour MP supermarkets and manufacturers would be forced by law to donate their surplus food to charities in order to reduce the "scandalous" amount of food wasted in the UK.

Labour MP for Bristol East, Kerry McCarthy, has brought the food waste bill forward using parliaments 10-minute rule, which allows MPs to introduce private members' bills.

The bill has received cross-party support and will receive its first reading in the Commons on Wednesday, following a parliamentary launch event. Although the bill stands little chance of getting onto the statute book, its supporters believe it will help draw attention to an issue of growing environmental concern.

McCarthy said that up to 50% of edible and healthy food is routinely wasted across the European Union – a figure that would rise across the EU if something is not done. She added: "The amount of food wasted in the UK is a scandal. By creating a surplus of – uneaten – food, the global food industry is adding pressure on scarce land and resources, contributing to deforestation, needlessly adding to global greenhouse gas emissions and helping to drive up global food prices."

A major hurdle to such a bill is the risk of liability for food donors. Because of this McCarthy is also calling for a UK equivalent of the US Good Samaritan Food Donation Act, which exempts from prosecution any food banks and donors who donate surplus food in good faith, if the food turns out to have caused food poisoning, for example.

Henry Smith, Conservative MP for Crawley, added: "Food waste is not only an environmental concern but a social problem too. It is morally right that large retailers should make available food that would be dumped anyway to those most in need or struggling. This proposed legislation is timely and right."