Why do we throw away vast amounts of food?

Tristram Stuart with large bags of spicy tomato and basil soup discarded by the sandwich chain Eat four days before its sell-by date Photograph: Andy Hall

The contents of a bin outside a village shop in Sussex Photograph: Tristram Stuart

A crop of spinach rejected by a retailer because there was some grass growing among it, left to rot in the field in Norfolk Photograph: Laura Yates

Contents of the bins of a Marks & Spencer supermarket in central London, sprayed with blue dye Photograph: Phillip Birch

Thousands of imperfect bananas lie in a drainage ditch, dumped by United Fruit, in Rio Estrella, Costa Rica Photograph: Gary Braasch/Corbis

Marks & Spencer requires its sandwich supplier, Hain Celestial Group, to discard four slices from each loaf: the crust and the first slice at either end Photograph: Simon Inglethorpe

This practice means 13,000 slices of fresh bread are discarded every day from a single factory Photograph: Simon Inglethorpe

Surplus oranges in California, USA Photograph: Roger Ressmeyer/Corbis

Soups and sandwiches discarded by the sandwich chain Eat in Holborn, London Photograph: Andy Hall

The contents of the bins of an organic fruit and vegetable shop in Sussex Photograph: Tristram Stuart

Surplus tomatoes dumped on farmland in Tenerife Photograph: Sally A. Morgan/Ecoscene/Corbis

The contents of the bins of a village Co-op store, including: 86 bread rolls, 12 loaves, 248 cocktail sausages, 42 sandwiches, 30 peaches, 36 oranges, 117 tomatoes, one melon, one cauliflower, nine lemons, six sausage rolls, six pork pies, 11 cheese twists, 10 croissants, 45 tubes fromage frais, four pots of yoghurt, four pints of milk, 18 scotch pancakes, one chocolate cake, one toffee cake, two packets of crisps, seven sauces and dips, one smoothie and one pack of chocolates Photograph: Tristram Stuart

Unwanted fish discarded from an industrial trawler Photograph: Lionel Flageul

A selection of fresh produce from the bins of Tristram Stuart's local Waitrose Photograph: Tristram Stuart

A heap of composted poultry byproducts maturing next to a field of grazing cattle. One bullock is grazing right up against the heap Photograph: supplied by Robert Persey

Potatoes rejected for cosmetic reasons at a potato farm in Kent that supplies Tesco Photograph: Tristram Stuart

Three identical Romaine lettuces purchased at the same time and stored for ten days, from left to right 1) at room temperature 2) in the fridge and 3) in a glass of water like cut flowers Photograph: Tristram Stuart

A first world war-era poster from the US food administration Photograph: LLC/Corbis