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BOGOFs under fire in food waste crackdown
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Price promotions such as “Buy one get one free” have come under attack from the Government as part of its crackdown on food waste.

A Cabinet Office study yesterday (July 7) revealed that families throw away about a third of all the food they buy – a total of more than four million tonnes a year.

Prime minister Gordon Brown responded by saying: “If we’re to get food prices down, we must do more to deal with unnecessary demand, by all of us doing more to cut our food waste which is costing the average household in Britain about £8 per week.”

MPs and campaigners believe the Cabinet Office report will put more pressure on supermarkets to stop promoting sales through BOGOFs and other price offers.

Joan Ruddock, the environment minister, said: “Government doesn’t dictate to supermarkets how they should promote their products. However, we do suggest it’s something to which they give careful thought.”

However, the supermarket groups accused the Government of “lashing out” at retailers, pointing out that most food waste was fruit and vegetables which are not a common product for BOGOFs.

Jeff Allder, food policy expert at the National Consumer Council – the Government’s consumer watchdog – told the Daily Telegraph: “As a consumer group we are definitely wary of any moves to ban any type of offer in supermarkets. If you are a large family feeling the squeeze, buy-one-get-one-free offers and other promotions are a godsend for you.”

However, Kath Dalmeny, policy director at Sustain, a food campaign group, said: “I’d be thrilled if they were banned. Supermarkets are responsible for huge levels of waste throughout the supply chain.”

July 8, 2008
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