Liberal Democrat MP Layla Moran yesterday branded an increase in food waste from the House of Commons as “shameful” and has called for surplus food to be donated to charities.

Ms Moran has revealed through parliamentary questions that there has been a 116% increase in food waste from the House of Commons in just three years.

The House of Commons Commission confirmed to Ms Moran that in 2015/2016 there was 130,384 kg of waste, which has since dramatically rocketed to 282,133 kg in 2017/2018.

Commenting, Ms Moran said:

“It is damning that there has been a 116% increase in food waste from the House of Commons in just three years. Meanwhile, food banks struggle to meet demand and homeless people beg for money for food outside Parliament’s own doors and in town centers across the country.

“The Commons authorities really must make sure that good surplus food is donated to charities and as much as possible of the rest is composted.”

Notes:

Question:

To ask the right hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington, representing the House of Commons Commission, how many kilogrammes of food the House of Commons has disposed of as waste in each of the last five years for which information is available.

Answer:

In the last five financial years, the amounts (kilogrammes) of food disposed of as waste from catering facilities were:

• 2017/18: 282,133 kg
• 2016/17: 228,441 kg
• 2015/16: 130,384 kg
• 2014/15: 209,667 kg
• 2013/14: 140,017 kg

A link to the question can be found here.