Campaigners are to launch a legal challenge against the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) after it scrapped a policy that would make food waste reporting mandatory for large and medium-sized businesses in England.
Environmental group Feedback is challenging the legality of the governments decision, with its lawyers from Leigh Day having written to Defra secretary, Thérèse Coffey, The Grocer reported.
The group said the decision to take legal action came as it felt the reasoning behind scrapping the legislation was based on an insufficient impact assessment and not on a logical view of the evidence given.
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Feedback also claimed that Defra had ignored recommendations from MPs on the climate change committee and did not account for the emissions that would have been saved as a result of mandatory food waste reporting.
The food waste laws were scrapped just last month, despite campaigners claiming the legislation could reduce food prices and help tackle the climate crisis.
Feedback found a 1% reduction in waste would have saved food businesses an estimated total of at least £2.4m a year.
Many supermarket bosses were also pushing for mandatory food waste reporting, with Sainsbury’s being “fully supportive” of the policy and Tesco agreeing that it is “critical”.
However, Defra claimed that the costs for businesses to regulate food waste reporting could actually drive food inflation higher.
A government spokesperson said: “A regulatory approach which we estimate to cost businesses around £5.3m is not suitable in the current economic climate, especially when any additional costs may be passed on to consumers.”
