Bill on Compulsary Donation of Surplus Food to Charities

Type of practice Reuse for food

Name of practice Bill on Compulsary Donation of Surplus Food to Charities

Name of main actor Labour MP (Kerry McCarthy), UK

Type of actor(s) Public authority

Location United Kingdom

Stage of implementation End-of-life

Year of implementation 2012

What was/is being done? 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, under proposals for a bill drawn up by a Labour MP (Kerry McCarthy). It has cross-party support and received its first reading in the Commons in March 2012. It is also supported by Friends of the Earth WWF-UK, chef Lorraine Pascale, FareShare, FoodCycle and Feeding the 5000. Given the major obstacle of the risk of liability for food donors, McCarthy has also been 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.

Outcomes and impacts According to Guardian, the bill stands little chance of getting onto the statute book, however its supporters believe it will help draw attention to an issue of growing environmental concern.