‘Ugly’ food discarded by industry: HK dumps $60m worth of products a year

MOST ‘unattractive’ food is simply thrown away, according to Oxfam Hong Kong. “The food industry often categorises food as surplus products when they look ‘unattractive,’” Oxfam Hong Kong said in its findings. The charity investigated the local food industry. It started the study at the end of 2011. They interviewed 353 food businesses, including 225 convenience stores and 128 food manufactures and distributors. Most businesses (84.6 percent of respondents) claim that they have measures in place to reduce food waste, but 66.3 percent stilldiscards excess food products. The findings suggest that food companies have not fully implemented their policies to cut down on food waste. The report also shows that an overwhelming 90.4 percent of respondents do not donate their surplus food to food banks or charities because of legal and liability issues. Consequently, food companies are throwing away HK$60 million worth of surplus food annually. Oxfam urges the government to clarify legal terms and relax its regulations to encourage food donation. 1. unattractive (adj) 無吸引力的 2. discard (v) 棄置 3. implement (v) 執行 4. liability (n) 責任 5. urge (v) 催促 6. consequently (adv) 因此