§ Mr. DafisTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will commission research on the impact of EU regulations on the quantity of edible food thrown away by British supermarkets; what estimate he has made of the quantity they disposed of in the last twelve months; and if he will make a statement. [34757]
§ Mr. MorleyNo estimates are available to the department, and I do not at this stage regard this as a priority research topic in the light of other pressures on our scarce resources. The firms concerned can be expected to keep wastage to a minimum for economic reasons, and a number of them participate in a voluntary scheme for the distribution of surplus food to charitable bodies caring for the disadvantaged.