Kerry McCarthy has been Labour MP for Bristol East since 2005 and in September 2015 she was appointed shadow Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Her priorities in this role include developing policy to promote a more sustainable food and farming system, and addressing key issues such as food poverty, access to healthy food, and the links between diet and public health. Kerry first introduced a Food Waste Bill in Parliament in 2012, and last year introduced an updated version, the Food Waste (Reduction) Bill, which calls for action to meet the UN food waste target, including requiring supermarkets to donate surplus food and carry out food waste audits. She is a patron of Food Cycle and works closely with other food redistribution organisations, including setting up and chairing an All-Party Parliamentary Group on Food Waste, and hosting various meetings in Parliament.
