During 2020, 14% of families with children in the UK experienced food insecurity. These families are dependent on food banks and free school meals. Meanwhile, 70% of the food waste produced in the UK is from households and businesses. Stop Food Waste Day encourages people to reconsider leftover food: is it waste, or is it a resource?

Everyone has a responsibility to reduce food waste. The Food Waste Hierarchy, developed by WRAP, prioritises the prevention of food waste. This could mean redistributing unused food to people who otherwise can’t access it, or simply producing less to begin with. If waste can’t be avoided, food waste can be recycled through anaerobic digestion or composting. As a last resort, food waste can be incinerated with energy recovery, or lost to landfill.

How can you prevent food waste?

Many of our RSK offices make regular donations to food banks. This helps redistribute unwanted or unused food to people who would otherwise not have access to it. Most supermarkets in the UK have food bank collection areas where you can donate food.

We also encourage our staff to grow their own food and, last year, RSK Creative became involved with the Tattenhall Allotments Association. Allotments give people the opportunity to grow their own food, even if they don’t have space at home, and help them understand the value of food as a resource. When you know how much love, care and effort goes into growing food, you’re less willing to throw it in the bin! RSK Creative produced branding and an advertising campaign to encourage local people to rent an allotment. This campaign was highly successful and even encouraged some of our staff to take up vegetable growing.

Do you have a sustainability campaign you’d like help promoting? We’d love to get involved, so contact us if you have any ideas.