Food Waste

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It is estimated that each year the UK throws away around 8 million tonnes of household food waste. More specifically, it is suggested that we throw away around a third of all of the food we buy; and at least half of this food could have been eaten if we had only managed it better.

In the UK, the majority of food waste we throw away is sent to landfill to be disposed of, which in turn is having a detrimental effect on our environment. This is because when sent to landfill, food waste is broken down by bacteria and releases methane into the atmosphere, a harmful greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change.

As well as having a negative impact on our environment, throwing food away is also costing us significant amounts of money. In the UK we spend £12 billion every year buying and then throwing away good food; working out at £480 for the average UK household, increasing to £680 a year for households with children – an average of just over £50 a month [1].

What Are Our Main Reasons for Wasting Food?

The are a number of different underlying issues which suggest the reasons why we throw away and waste so much food in the UK: from a change of mind to a change of plan; from an unwillingness to eat leftovers to a lack of knowledge of how to use them; from too little storage space to confusion over whether products can be frozen [2].

Research[3] suggests a number of different reasons for household food waste in the UK. These include:

  • buying too much – particularly being tempted by special offers e.g. ‘buy one, get one free’ (BOGOFs);
  • buying more perishable food – often as the result of trying to eat more healthily;
  • poor storage management – not eating food in date order (choosing food on impulse, often driven by ‘spontaneous’ and ‘top up’ shopping);
  • ad hoc, rather than methodical, ‘spring cleaning’ of stored products;
  • high sensitivity to food hygiene – 1 in 5 say they won’t take a chance with food close to its ‘best before’ date, even if it looks fine;
  • preparing too much food in general; not liking the food prepared – 22% of families with children stated that not liking a meal was a cause of food waste; and
  • lifestyle factors – not having the time to plan meals, or having fluid work and social patterns – particularly true of young professionals.

10 Simple Ways to Reduce the Amounts of Food Waste We Throw Away?

  • Make a shopping list – By checking the food that is already in your cupboards, you can see what you do and don’t need to buy. Only include the things you need to buy in your shopping list and make sure that you stick to your list in the shops.
  • Use up your leftovers – Check your cupboards for any leftover fruit or vegetables that may be going soft. Try and use these in the making of pies, soup or pasta sauces etc… for the vegetables, and cakes, fruit salads or smoothies etc… for the fruits.
  • Keep a good fridge – Ensure that the seals on your fridge are effective and that the temperature of your fridge is between 1 and 5 degrees celcius. This is the temperature required for maximum freshness and longevity.
  • Freeze – If you only use small amounts of bread per week, why not freeze your bread and take out slices as and when you need them? You could also batch cook meals and freeze them for those nights during the week when you really dont want to cook.
  • Rotate – When you have been food shopping, place all of the new products at the back of the cupboards and fridge and bring all the old products to the front. This will ensure that the old products dont go mouldy and to waste.
  • Portion Control – Serve small amounts at meal times on the basis that if a member of the family would like some more they can go back and get some more. Any food that isn’t used shound be covered and stored in the fridge.
  • Use leftovers as ingredients – Use today’s leftovers as tomorrow’s ingredients. Could a few leftover sausages be the ingredients for pasta? Could leftover bacon be used in an omlette? For more tips on this issue, as well as food storage, recipes and portion control, please visit Love Food Hate Waste.
  • Only buy what you need – Buy loose products individually rather than as a pack. An example of this would be buying individual bananas rather than a pack of 8. This can help to prevent food from being wasted.
  • Compost – Some food waste such as vegatable peelings are simply unavoidable. Buy purchasing a garden compost bin from yopur local council, any unavoidable food waste such as vegatable peelings, and any food waste that would otherwise be thrown in the refuse bin, can be placed into the compost bin which in turn will produce nutrient rich compost that can be used on your garden. For more information on how you can buy a home compost bin from your local council, please visit Recycle Now. Alternatively, visit our online store to view our range of composting systems.
  • Dont shop when you’re hungry – Try to avoid going to the shops if you are hungry. This could be the reason why you come home with too much food.

References:

[1] WRAP, 2009. Household Food and Drink Waste in the UK.

[2]WRAP, 2009. Understanding Food Waste.

[3] Brook Lyndhurst (2007) WRAP Food Behaviour Consumer Research.

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