Food plan only way Holyrood can help welfare cuts victims
WHILE I agree with the academics who wrote that the Government is wrong to cut welfare and leave food banks and other charities to try to cope with the people left in poverty or hunger as a result (Letters, May 30) the government responsible is not the Scottish Government, but the UK Government ; and the proposal to make supermarkets give food they would otherwise throw away to food banks has some merit.
The Scottish Government has no power over the vast majority of welfare policy. The UK Government does. With the re-election of a Conservative government the likelihood of welfare policy changing from one that blames the poorest for their own circumstances and punishes genuine claimants seems slim.
In these circumstances the Scottish Government proposing a law to make supermarkets give away food which they would otherwise throw away is them taking one of the few practical measures they have any power to take to help victims of welfare “reform”.
While there are some kinds of foods where eating them even a few days past their us- by date could cause illness (meat, fish, eggs or meals containing them for instance), I’ve eaten plenty of food from days to over a week past its “best before” or even “use by” dates and not suffered any illness as a result – apples, cereal or nuts kept in a cupboard for instance, or food kept in the fridge.
A well-drafted law could differentiate between different types of food.
A higher minimum wage and provision of sufficient benefits to those in genuine need would be preferable to food banks, but the Scottish Government has no power to do either and the UK Government no inclination to. Duncan McFarlane, Beanshields, Braidwood, Carluke. NEW laws in France requiring supermarkets to redistribute surplus food have prompted debate on whether we should follow suit in Scotland (“Fresh, tasty and hrealthy .. serving up the finest in food waste”, The Herald, May 30).
It is good to see the issue of food waste getting attention. However, in truth, similar legal obligations already exist in Scotland. Under our waste regulations, all businesses must apply the waste hierarchy, which prioritises re-use and recycling over disposal. So food businesses should routinely redistribute their edible surplus for human consumption, where it is safe to do so, by law.
Zero Waste Scotland believes our priority should be to avoid wasting food in the first place.
As your leader (“Food for thought on waste we create”, The Herald, May 30) points out, this is a complex area, with a number of factors, from lifestyles and consumer behaviour to market demands all at play. But just because it is hard, doesn’t mean we shouldn’t tackle it.
We work to prevent food waste right through the supply chain, promoting less wasteful practices in manufacturing, in retail and at home.
Schemes like FareShare do amazing work, but their existence is symptomatic of wastefulness throughout the food system. Campaigners are right to point out that relying on surplus to feed those in need is not a truly sustainable solution. We should strive to end both food poverty and food waste, independently of one another, for an environmentally and socially just Scotland. Iain Gulland Chief executive, Zero Waste Scotland, Ground Floor, Moray House, Forthside Way, Stirling.