A recent report in the Guardian, and with figures revealed by the supermarket giant, Tesco, revealed that the estimated food waste generated by the brand was some 59,400 tonnes last year.

The only major supermarket to reveal their food waste data, Tesco confirmed that this is an increase on the previous year, despite programmes being put in place to tackle this issue head-on.

These shocking figures amount to an estimated 119 milllion meals lost to wastage, and is an increase of 4% over the previous period.

Although it makes for a shocking read, Tesco in some respects must be lauded for pointing out the level of wastage that is occurring within their stores. It is of course a strange scenario for a supermarket to publish their own waste figures, but as the only supermarket to do so, we would assume that rival chains remain more coy on their own.

Chief Executive, Dave Lewis, used a familiar tactic in a bid to explain the figures, resorting to blaming the consumer. “While the majority of food waste arises from the home, industry recognises the need to lead by example.”

Although we understand that within the food industry there will be a base level of wastage, regardless of plans put in place, finite shelf life, lack of demand, poor stock management; these are all issues that an industry leader, and multi-billion pound company should be looking to reduce.

To push the blame to the consumer is a cheap tactic, and one that is wholly unnecessary.

Supermarkets exist to cater for our need (or desire) for produce (whether necessary or desired) with the business model of a ‘one-stop shop’ ensuring that we the consumer buy more than we could ever need in a bid to ‘save money’.

With more people than ever needing the help of food banks and local food distribution initiatives, these figures are almost a PR disaster. Tesco has promised to redistribute all of its unsold edible food to charities from 2017. An excellent idea in principle, but this doesn’t negate the food wastage effect.

When our planet is facing large scale food production issues, and at a much more regular rate than in previous decades, these figures only serve as a warning that we as a consumerist nation, need to address the fundamental issues of how much we are consuming.

Check out our latest research on food waste and food surplus in the grocery supply chain https://t.co/3IecJYuzBV #Courtauld2025

— WRAP (@WRAP_UK) 17 May 2016

Waste and Resources Action Programme (Wrap) is at the forefront of the fight to reduce all of our food waste, with the Courtauld Commitment, signed by industry giants such as Coca-Cola and Nestle, aims to improve resource efficiency and reduce the carbon impact of the UK grocery sector, whilst helping manufacturers, retailers and households.

Although a voluntary agreement, this plan holds those businesses to account for a lack of regard for the wastage they produce as a result of food or beverage production.

Maybe we will never see a ‘zero waste economy’, but with plans in place to hold the biggest offenders to account for their blatant (or in some cases not-so-blatant) disregard for intense food waste production, we are confident that this is a benefit to us, the consumer and our environment.