Parliament binned 318,000kg of food last year – the weight equivalent of a Boeing 737.
On average, 870kg of taxpayer subsidised nosh for MPs, peers and other employees was chucked away every day, more than doubling the amount that was ditched in 2021.
The total food bill at the Houses of Commons and Lords was £10.9million last year – £7.5million of which was covered by subsidy.
Meanwhile, a million adults went a day without eating in February amid the cost of living crisis, the Food Foundation think-tank found.
And foodbanks are struggling to meet demand as grocery inflation was last week predicted to hit 18%.
Yet MPs on salaries of £84,000 can get a jacket potato for £3.30 – while a spud in a Tesco cafe costs £4.95.
Campaigners slammed the Westminster waste as “appalling”.
Food poverty activist Maddy Alexander-Grout said: “Ordinary families might be struggling put food on the table but those working in Parliament are struggling to fit it all in the bin.”
Lindsay Boswell, boss of anti-food waste charity FareShare, said: “With one in five worrying about where their next meal is coming from, we don’t want to see food being wasted, especially when it is good-to-eat food that could be redistributed to the people who need it.”
And Lib Dem MP Wera Hobhouse said: “It’s a sorry state of affairs that there were tonnes of subsidised food waste while people spent winter having to choose between heating and eating.”
Food is run by two separate organisations for the House of Commons and the House of Lords.
Parliament said none of the waste went to landfill and all food fit for consumption was used appropriately by catering venues.
A spokesman added: “Both Houses take measures to reduce food waste from their outlets, which serve thousands of customers every week.
“We review and manage any potential out-of-date stock to reduce the need for redistribution and have relationships with organisations who can redistribute surplus food when needed.”
