A “food forum” must be established to deal with the issue of wastage of “imperfect” fruit and vegetables, according to one senator.
Speaking this morning (Tuesday, August 15), Tim Lombard, Fine Gael’s Seanad spokesperson on agriculture, food and the marine, said that vegetables are the most commonly wasted food type in supermarkets, accounting for 20% of waste, followed by fruit at 16%.
As a result, Lombard said, food producers in Ireland are obliged to grow more food to counter the amount that will be discarded.
He called for the establishment of a food forum to tackle the issue of food waste.
“With the number of growers reducing, this puts pressure on the less than 200 horticulture growers in Ireland to supply beyond what is needed, as this inevitable waste must be factored into production plans,” Lombard said.
According to Lombard, there is a “rising lofty attitude to imperfect-looking” vegetables and fruit that are “perfectly nutritional”, which he said has led to an excessive and needless waste of money.
He commented: “Earlier this year, we saw a nationwide shortage of certain Irish-grown vegetables, such as peppers. We also know that there may be difficulties later in the year with carrots, parsnips, cauliflower, broccoli, sprouts, and cabbages.
“This should be the catalyst to change our approach to vegetables and fruit that are deemed ‘ugly’ or ‘wonky’.
“It is not sustainable to continue with the current approach where up to 30% of fruit and vegetables never make it to the supermarket shelves simply because items look imperfect,” Lombard added.
He said that the strategy adopted by some UK retailers, to sell ranges of “wonky” vegetables at discount prices, is one possible way to entice consumers.
“I am calling on Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue to establish a food forum, to bring together all stakeholders to discuss food waste and security, pricing, and attitudes or retailers and consumers.
“Value can be achieved by both the producer and consumer by operating a more sustainable food chain from farm to fork in a way that in beneficial in a long term for all – but we need some innovation around how this produce is marketed,” Lombard added.