By Xavier Wallin and Jasper Freeman 

According to recent reports, Guildford wastes approximately 1.5 million tonnes of food each year. This amount of food waste has serious financial and environmental consequences, so why is this the case and what can be done to tackle this issue? 

Reducing food waste in Guildford requires a multi-faceted approach. This could include initiatives such as encouraging residents to compost their food waste, educating people about meal planning and food storage, and increasing awareness of the environmental impact of food waste.  

On the hunt to discover more, we spoke to a Sainsbury’s employee who shall remain anonymous for safeguarding reasons. He exclaimed, “Yeah, we have a s*** ton of waste here”, emphasising the clear need for reform on both an individual scale and on a commercial scale. He further commented how in particular “loads of baked goods are thrown out” and that out of fear of litigation they can not give out any food that will be thrown out.  It is sad to hear that thousands of tonnes of food goes to waste every year whilst others struggle to make ends meet. To fix this – the vague laws which obstruct the distribution of surplus produce of establishments (supermarkets, bakeries etc) need to be refined so are business aren’t scared to give out their left over food and help those in need. 

Fortunately, Sainsbury’s have pledged to “reduce food waste by 50% by 2030” and we hope here at the 1509 that other corporations follow suit.  

So next time you go to Sainsbury’s, consider buying from the fresh fruit aisle or freshly baked goods aisle rather than your usual Cadbury’s chocolate bar, because if we all contribute we could reduce food waste in Guildford for good.