Food Waste Bill

In the UK we throw away roughly 30% of the food we buy which is well over £400 per person, on average, each year. However it is not just the individual financial cost that is a concern.

This waste is symbolic of our failing food systems where, globally over 1billion people are starving and a further 1billion people are obese, totalling over 2 billion people who are eating sub-optimal diets (as highlighted by the Foresight Report). Even if we don’t eat too much food, we appear to be buying too much of it and at the same time food poverty is an increasing reality for many people living in the UK. As if the food waste itself was not lamentable enough (most domestic food waste is fresh fruit and vegetables, which we don’t eat enough of), the labour and resources that went into producing food that is wasted have also been in vain. This situation seems particularly unjustifiable when current food production methods rarely compensate labourers and ecosystems for the services they provide and resources are becoming increasingly scarce. (The Soil Assocation’s publication STUFFED* gives an interesting insight into statistics).

Waste occurs at every level of the food chain and Kerry McCarthy MP has taken on the challenge of reforming how we manage our food waste…

On 14 March Kerry McCarthy’s Food Waste Bill received its first reading. It has received strong cross-party support and is backed by Friends of the Earth, WWF-UK, FareShare, FoodCycle, Feeding the 5000, as well as by the chef, Lorraine Pascale.

This Bill seeks to address barriers to food donation and to ensure that more of the food wasted by supermarkets and manufacturers is donated to charities that redistribute it to the increasing number of people living in food poverty in the UK. It:

1.                  Places a legal obligation on large supermarkets and large manufacturers to donate a proportion of their surplus food for redistribution to charities, which redistribute it to individuals in food poverty.

2.                  Encourages and incentivises all other businesses and public bodies which generate food waste to donate a greater proportion of their surplus for redistribution.

3.                  Protects from civil and criminal liability food donors and recipient agencies, along the lines of 1996 US legislation, The Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act

Although the Bill will fall at the end of this parliamentary session, Kerry will revive it in the next session. It is also hoped it may be adopted as a Private Members Bill or in the Lords, or that the Bill, or parts of it, will receive government backing.   

kerry.mccarthy.mp@parliament.uk

www.kerrymccarthymp.org

www.facebook.com/WhatAWasteSupportTheFoodWasteBill

Tristram Stuart, author of WASTE: Uncovering the Global Food Scandal, helped launch the Bill in Parliament last month, along with backers like Foodcycle.  Kelvin Cheung, CEO and founder of FoodCycle, who also attended the launch said ‘I think the interesting thing right now developing from this is that it is leading to wider discussion in terms of the good Samaritan act and how to 'pull down' more barriers to community action and citizen participation.  So wherever the bill goes, who knows, but it potentially has the option of going much bigger.’

We think this Bill is a brilliant initiative and we hope you will be inspired by it too. You can show your support by joining the facebook page (above) and by getting involved in raising awareness inside and outside parliament about reducing food waste and food poverty!

UKYCC's Campaign: Youth for Green Jobs

‘People working together to build the foundations of a cleaner, fairer future’

Last month the UK Youth Climate Coalition launched their Youth for Green Jobs campaign. The launch coincided with the Government’s Budget announcement and the campaign will parallel the development of the Government’s Green Deal.

‘Youth for Green Jobs’ promotes solutions to deal with youth unemployment now and in the future, routes for economic recovery and encourages mitigation and adaptation to the onset of climate change. We feel it embodies the holistic approach to policy and action that is necessary in order to prepare for our future.

The campaigns aims are:

*to see green jobs available to young people everywhere.

*to see meaningful collaboration between Government departments around green jobs (Energy and Climate Change, Work and Pensions, Business, Innovation and Skills, Education) as a mutually beneficial solution to interrelated challenges which they face.

*More broadly, to contribute to the definition of what a green job is – by adding a youth voice, and emphasising the intergenerational justice dimension of a “green economy”.

*In the long-term, to work also in a more localised sense, to stimulate action around green jobs locally, through provision, training, skill sharing and creativity.

*We act within broader aims of UKYCC to inspire, empower, mobilise and unite young people to take positive action on climate change.

UKYCC see Green Jobs, whether ‘directly’ or ‘indirectly’ Green, as needing to embody four main characteristics…

* Green Jobs are long-term, not just for the short-run. This can include training programmes and apprenticeships designed to lead to stable and long-term employment.

* Green Jobs provide a way to improve your personal set of working skills and ensure future opportunities for building your career

* Green Jobs must be non-exploitative and provide a ‘living wage’, particularly with respect to young people in full-time employment for the first time.

* Green Jobs are sustainable and have stewardship of the environment at their core.

There are many foodie jobs that are ‘Green’ or can be ‘Greened’ and YFM UK are developing our campaign 'Young Farmer Fertiliser', to bring the farming sector into the limelight for young people who are looking for a future in green jobs alongside our work supporting sustainable food production methods.

You can find out more about the campaign, news, and how you can get involved with action and events, at http://yfgj.ukycc.org/blog/

Making Local Food Our Future Conference

Making Local Food Our Future Conference

On 20^th March, YFM UK attended the Making Local Food Work partnership’s conference. With the support of the Big Lottery Fund, Making Local Food Work has worked with over 1,300 community food enterprises across England since 2007. The community food sector caters for all parts of our food chain from Local Farms, Organic Farms, Community Orchids, Community Supported Agricultre schemes, Care Farms, City Farms, Community Gardens, a Local Flour Mill, Community Bakeries, Wholefood distributors, to Farm Shops, Pick Your Own, Country Markets, Farmers Markets, Veg Box Schemes and Community Owned Shops.

The conference was recognising the momentum building in the community food movement and brought together groups and individuals with a passion for local food from all over the UK. It was a day packed full of of debate, discussion and inspiration, interspersed with delicious food and great people.

Delegates were able to participate in Q&A sessions with speakers including Professor Tim Lang and the Rt Hon. Caroline Spellman MP. YFM asked questions ranging from asking Tim’s opinion on ‘Sustainable Intensification’ to what Caroline was doing to engage the Department for Work and Pensions in encouraging young people into agricultural jobs.

We were really inspired by Pam Warhurst speaking about her experience initiating and running Incredible Edible Todmorden at a Break Out Session on ‘Influencing the future: What does the community food sector need from Government public policy?’ Hearing so many stories about different food projects run by hundreds of inspirational people contributed to the uplifting, empowering atmosphere the event.

An absolutely fascinating day! Thank You 'Making Local Food Work'!

Tasting the Future Assembly

Katy attended the Tasting the Future Assembly representing YFM UK at this workshop of fantastically passionate people. With the Open Space format in use Katy hosted an 'Social and Cultural Health through FOOD!' open space which was well attended and inspiring to see that lots of people are concerned with this intrinsic connection. YFM UK is looking forward to the next Tasting the Future event.

Here are a few words from #ttf changemaker Niamh Carey about the day.

A theme of creativity was set for the day with an inspiring opening song from musician and social activist Luke Concannon.

This theme was continued in the subsequent open space session, which began with a beautiful metaphor borrowed from the Nobel Peace Prize winner, Wangari Maathai. She asks us to think of ourselves as hummingbirds, trying to put out a forest fire. That no matter how small the drop of water

we can carry, it is a significant contribution and if we all help, we can put out the fire.

Participants posed questions that represented the burning issues they were working on, or where they

required the help of other humming birds! Questions flew up and we quickly had 18 sessions posted and

the room went to work. The ensuing conversations tackled a diverse range of issues facing us in the transition to a sustainable food future. These included: supply chains, climate !iendly beef, urban agriculture, business models, sharing, supermarkets, GMOs, biodiversity, hubs & possibilities, sustainable food for everyone, food waste, food mapping, working together for systems change, getting people to act, connection and sustainability as a starting point for innovation.

It was inspiring to see people helping each other with their enquiries and challenges. Participants really enjoyed meeting each other and collaborating: “Great to be part of a community of people who do what they believe”, “Sharing ideas that I believe in” “Inspiration - so much going on”.

Our friends at UKYCC report from Durban

Reclaiming our future: UK Youth at the UN climate talks

It’s that time of year again, when diplomats and negotiators, in iron-clad grey suits come face to face with young people who are ready to flashdance and cheerlead their way to the future.

Those two things might seem worlds apart, but in just a few days in Durban, South Africa, the UK youth delegation from the UK Youth Climate Coalition will join with other young people from across the world for the United Nations annual climate talks.

The countries of the world come together once a year to try to formulate a plan that will reduce emissions and prepare for inevitable changes to our climate. That meeting is called the Conference of the Parties, and its 17th annual meeting is about to start.

We believe that young people are the ones who truly have the overwhelming passion and energy to show that, despite the lack of success these talks have had during our lifetimes, we want the most ambitious solution possible to climate change.

And the reason we’re so strong as a group is because we all have our own individual experience. The climate negotiations are crucial to solving climate change, but they are not the be all and end all. We’re all involved in a huge variety of projects around climate change and empowering young people in our local communities, and that’s where our strength and energy come from.

Youth are not the bystanders in this process, we are the ones who will be dealing with the consequences of these decisions for decades to come. And what’s more, progress, or lack of it, has impacts for every young person back on the streets of the UK. Progress towards a low-carbon, clean future, would provide new opportunities for growth and jobs. Politicians and diplomats are bargaining and procrastinating over our future.

And don’t be beguiled by our facepaint, silly costumes, propensity to dance and sing and wear colourful clothes. We’ve also spent the year fundraising hard and in particular learning about climate change policy. Behind our sunglasses and flowery shirts, we’re armed with the tools to have conversations with negotiators on their level.

What’s more, we hope to communicate what’s going on in these talks back to young people in the UK and that they will get in touch with us. Every young person has a stake in this process and we want to make sure that they know what’s being decided in their name, about their futures.

And we’re also excited to link up with the hundreds of young people from all over the world who scrimp and save to come to South Africa, who study detailed policy, who plan creative actions to open politicians’ eyes. We want to help shape the efforts needed and decisions taken to tackle climate change for the lives of all young people.

Find our blogs at un.ukycc.org, follow us @ukyccdelegation and email us your thoughts and hopes for a clean, safe future - delegation.enquiries@ukycc.org