Rise in MPs’ food waste

FOOD waste thrown out by the House of Commons has more than doubled in three years.

Some 282 tonnes of food was discarded by parliamentary caterers last year – the weight of 21 London buses – up from 130 tonnes in 2015.

A Commons spokesman said the levels were ‘below national average’ and the waste was sent to an anaerobic digestion facility to generate energy – but Labour MP Kerry McCarthy said this response was disappointing.

Describing the figures as ‘staggering’, she said the primary focus should be on prevention as the food is ‘nonetheless wasted’.