The second installment of a documentary TV series “Hugh’s War on Waste” highlights one man’s attempt to spearhead radical change throughout the U.K. related to food and clothing waste. Host of the BBC One show launched in 2015, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, an English celebrity chef, broadcaster, writer and environmental activist, suggests that farmers, retailers and consumers all contribute to the tons of waste occurring across the U.K. every day.

Fearnley-Whittingstall asserts Britons throw away about one-third of all the food produced within its borders. Moreover, 20 percent of the crops grown in the U.K. never get eaten because quality standards in supermarkets call for the wholesale rejection of fruits and vegetables that are not “absolutely perfect” in terms of size, shape and appearance.

Because “Hugh’s War on Waste” has stirred a global “Waste Not” movement, I invite you to take this opportunity to consider how you can be a more conscious consumer. If you routinely throw away half-eaten meals and perfectly useable clothing, or frequently toss food because it spoils before you made a plan to eat it, this documentary is for you!

Grocers Discard Massive Amounts of Edible Food

Fearnley-Whittingstall points out that Britons purchase more than 40 million tons of food annually, which, for the most part, is channeled through seven supermarkets, including the five largest (based on sales volume): Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda, Morrisons and Waitrose (which is owned by John Lewis).¹ His “War on Waste” campaign targets these big retailers, most of whom claim on their websites that food waste is not an issue.

In fact, Sainsbury’s and Tesco claimed they were doing everything they could to ensure food that was still suitable for human consumption was getting to people in need. However, after going “dumpster diving” at two prominent retailers, Fearnley-Whittingstall was shocked to discover just how much edible food was, in reality, being liberally tossed out by grocery stores. About the late-night discovery of massive food waste at one Waitrose store, he said:

“This branch of Waitrose has binned hundreds of pounds worth of perfectly good food tonight, but that’s not something they’ll be admitting to their customers. Here’s what it says on the Waitrose website: ‘Surplus food that is fit for consumption is donated to local charities.’

That’s the front-facing message Waitrose is putting out to all their customers about their food-waste policy, and I think it’s flawed… Either they are deliberately misleading their customers or Waitrose doesn’t know what’s happening in their stores.”