Wasted food now costs UK homes £10 billion, new study reveals
A new research report "The Food We Waste", published by WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme) today revealed that the average household in Cumbria throws out £420 of good food a year. For some families with children it can be as much as £610 –which could have helped pay household bills.
The cost of needlessly wasted food to UK households is £10 billion a year, £2 billion higher than previously estimated. The research gives detailed new insights into the nature and amount of food waste thrown away in the UK and is believed to be the first study of its kind.
Researchers found that more than half the good food thrown out, worth £6 billion a year is bought and simply left unused or untouched. For example, each day 1.3 million unopened yoghurt pots, 5,500 whole chickens and 440,000 ready meals are thrown away in the UK. The study revealed that £1 billion worth of wasted food is still "in date".
The environmental impact of food waste is enormous, because of all the energy and resources which are used to get food to our homes, and when it reaches landfill, there is a major carbon impact. Tackling the problem of food waste would be the same as taking 1 in 5 cars off of UK roads.
Launching the report "The Food We Waste" today Liz Goodwin, Chief Executive of WRAP, described the findings as "shocking".
"Food waste has a significant environmental impact. This research confirms that it is an issue for us all, whether as consumers, retailers, local or central Government." She added: "What shocked me the most was the cost of our food waste at a time of rising food bills, and generally a tighter pull on our purse strings."
Julia Falcon of WRAP’s campaign, Love Food Hate Waste, said: "This report shows we could all be saving money and time by making better use of our food. We’ve found there’s a real demand for quick and easy ideas and lovefoodhatewaste.com can help with tips which turn into good habits in the kitchen."
ENDS
Please note: Cumbria County Council's media team telephone numbers have now changed.
Media enquiries to Justin Hawkins, Media Officer on 01228 226334
Notes
Love Food Hate Waste Campaign –new tips to help with planning:
•Have a quick check in the fridge each day and plan meals around what needs using up first.
•Those leftovers from last night’s dinner can make a great lunchbox to take to work & save money.
•Date labels don’t have to be difficult –check for "Use by" dates and see if the product can be frozen if it can’t be eaten it in time.
•Before you hit the supermarket try to make a list.
•We waste a lot of fresh fruit, vegetables and salad –keep them in the fridge and they can last up to two weeks longer.
•Many convenience foods can be frozen –when choosing them in the store check the label first.
•And try buying a mix of frozen and fresh foods to give you more choice and time to eat them.
•Meals made from leftovers can be delicious and save you both time and money
•Go to lovefoodhatewaste.com to get more help with planning, storing, cooking and enjoying the food you buy. Don’t forget to give us your tips too!
Pru Leith says:
"It gives me huge satisfaction to "make something out of nothing""
The Food We Waste Report: Can be found at http://www.wrap.org.uk/retail/food_waste/research/the_food_we_waste.html (external link) from 9am Thursday 8th May.
This study which is believed to be the first of its kind in the world, consisted of a detailed survey of households and a physical analysis of their waste.
A representative sample of 2,715 households in England and Wales was interviewed, and several weeks later, 2,138 of them had their waste collected for analysis - with their signed consent.
The research was designed so that WRAP could quantify the amounts and types of food waste being produced, but also made links between this and the attitudes displayed by, and disposal options available to the household.
Key Facts from the Love Food Hate Waste campaign:
•In the UK we are throwing away one third of the food we buy. That’s like one in three bagfuls of food shopping going straight in the bin.
•We throw away 6.7 million tonnes of food each year in the UK, when most of this food could have been eaten. (Its not just peelings and bones –its good food).That’s equivalent to filling Wembley Stadium with food waste 8 times over!
•In terms of environmental impact –producing, storing and getting the food to our homes uses a lot of energy. The carbon impact of food waste is enormous. Tackling it would provide a carbon benefit equivalent to taking 1 in 5 cars off of UK roads.
•Most of the wasted food reaches landfill sites where it emits methane, a powerful greenhouse gas.
•High economic cost –at least £10bn worth of food that could have been eaten is thrown out every year.
•We throw food out for two main reasons: food gets forgotten and is left unused; we serve up too much and don’t use leftovers.
•For more information on the Love Food Hate Waste campaign, visit: http://www.lovefoodhatewaste.com/ (external link)
Generic Notes:
1 WRAP helps individuals, businesses and local authorities to reduce waste and recycle more, making better use of resources and helping to tackle climate change.
2 Established as a not-for-profit company in 2000, WRAP is backed by government funding from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
3 Working in seven key areas (Construction, Retail, Manufacturing, Organics, Business Growth, Behavioural Change, and Local Authority Support), WRAP’s work focuses on market development and support to drive forward recycling and materials resource efficiency within these sectors, as well as wider communications and awareness activities including the multi-media national Recycle Now campaign for England.
4 More information on all of WRAP's programmes can be found on http://www.wrap.org.uk/ (external link)