British food and drink manufacturers have made strides towards their target of sending zero packaging waste to land refill, according to a new report by the Food and Drink Federation (FDF) and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)

The survey shows that over 90% of the food and packaging waste generated at factories operated by members of the FDF is now being recycled or recovered and that companies are on track to achieve their aim of sending no food or packaging waste to landfill by 2015 – one of the key commitments of FDF's Five-fold Environmental Ambition.

Of the 481,000 tonnes of food and packaging waste produced at 149 sites belonging to FDF members in 2009, 435,000 tonnes (more than 90%) was recovered or recycled with only 43,000 tonnes (9%) sent to landfill – a "significant" improvement on data from previous years (16.5% was sent to landfill in 2006 and 12.5% in 2008).

Furthermore, in 2008 and 2009, manufacturers prevented more than 340,000 tonnes of food from entering the waste stream by diverting it into other uses, notably animal feed.

Andrew Kuyk, FDF director of sustainability & competitiveness, said: "These new evidence-based findings demonstrate beyond doubt that FDF members are making a significant contribution to improving the environment by targeting those areas where they can make the biggest difference.

"The results clearly show that our members are producing less waste at their sites and it is a great achievement that more than 90% of the waste that does arise is being recycled or recovered. The findings also support the work of the new coalition Government in its drive towards a zero waste economy."

DEFRA addresses packaging and food waste

In other developments DEFRA has highlighted the role that supermarkets have to play in helping consumers reduce the environmental impact of their grocery shopping with a meeting of the UK's 13 top food retailers, Ben Bradshaw, Minister for Local Environment, and Jennie Price, chief executive of the Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP).

Reporting on progress on WRAP's Courtauld Commitment, which aims to cut packaging and food waste, the retailers outlined what they have done over the past year, including minimising packaging on shelf, innovations that keep food fresher for longer and long-term objectives that place reducing waste firmly in the retailers' corporate strategies.

Commenting on the update, Ben Bradshaw said: "Unnecessary and excessive packaging and waste contributes to dangerous climate change. It also adds to the cost to local authorities and the public of managing waste. I am impressed by the commitment that has been shown over the past year by retailers, but the action has to go further and has to be more visible to consumers. Until the supermarkets demonstrate clearly that they are willing to lead by example we cannot expect consumers to get fully engaged with reducing their own waste."

At the meeting, WRAP's chief executive Jennie Price announced that three major brands - Heinz, Northern Foods and Unilever - have now signed up to the Courtauld Commitment.