2. Thank you very much. How does the level of food waste generated on the Assembly's estate in the last quarter compare with the same period in the previous year? OAQ53293

Yes. The level of food waste generated on the Assembly estate increased slightly from 4.23 tonnes at the end of 2017 to 4.59 tonnes at the end of 2018. Obviously, in operating a catering service, food waste will never be totally eliminated, however our contractor Charlton House is very proactive and has introduced a range of initiatives, including menu planning around weekly demand, batch cooking and condensing food counters towards the end of service times. In addition, we should point out that all our food waste goes for composting and waste cooking oil is converted to biodiesel.

Thank you for that interesting answer. I would agree with you that Charlton House tries very hard and it isn't just down to the caterer to reduce the food waste. But as Lesley Griffiths, some 18 months ago, suggested that we should be halving food waste by 2025, it's obviously really important that we in the Assembly are showing the way and not just suggesting that other people do that. Clearly, in a country where many, many people do not have enough food to feed themselves, food waste is an offence, really. But I appreciate that when you're in the hospitality industry, it can be very difficult to control food waste because people order food that people don't turn up to eat. However, I do think that we need to all focus on this and that when we're organising or hosting events we ensure that whoever's paying for that food is thinking very clearly about exactly what they're going to need and the numbers they're going to need it for, but also if we could institute some form of disbursement of surplus food to those who are in need of food, and there are many of them, unfortunately, in our capital city. So, it'd be great if we could have some further conversations on how we might be able to do that in order to reduce, rather than increase, the amount of food waste we're generating.  

Well, the Assembly Member for Cardiff North is absolutely right in saying that the source of food waste with hospitality menus—although it's calculated on a per head basis, consumption of the food provided is strictly down to those attending, of course. So, there is very little Charlton House can do to reuse any of the leftover food items. Stricter hygiene rules mean most items cannot be recycled. Obviously, where items such as packeted biscuits are in place, they will use those and recycle them. But I think you're absolutely right, it's a tragedy to see good food wasted when there are people who desperately need that food. 

Thank you. Question 3 to the Commission is to be answered by the Llywydd. Helen Mary Jones.