Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on the potential merits of introducing overproduction czars at the local government level that would (a) assess local overproduction of produce and (b) offer it to hospitals and schools.

Both the Secretary of State and the food minister meet routinely with Parliamentary colleagues and key food organisations to discuss matters relating to the sector.

The Government is taking action to deliver effective management of food production, and we recognise the environmental, economic and social benefits of redistributing surplus food to organisations who can use it. Defra funds and engages a working group of industry and redistribution sector organisations to develop best practice on how to redistribute surplus food quickly and safely, and through our new £15 million farm surplus fund we are working with food producers and charities to ensure more produce gets to those who need it most.

The total amount of surplus food redistributed in the UK in 2023 was 191,000 tonnes, this equates to nearly 456 million meals with a value of around £764 million.