Wasted food is costing you £420 per year

Research report “The Food We Waste”, published by WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme) reveals that the average household in the UK throws out £420 of good food a year, approximately one third of the food we buy. For some families with children it can be as much as £610. This is equivalent to filling Wembley Stadium with food waste 8 times over!

The cost of needlessly wasted food to UK households is £10 billion a year, £2 billion higher than previously estimated. Researchers found that more than half the good food thrown out 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.

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.”

Some tips to help you reduce your food waste:

1. Have a quick check in the fridge each day and plan meals around what needs using up first.
2. Those leftovers from last night’s dinner can make a great lunchbox to take to work & save money.
3. 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.
4. Before you hit the supermarket try to make a list.
5. We waste a lot of fresh fruit, vegetables and salad – keep them in the fridge and they can last up to two weeks longer.
6. Many convenience foods can be frozen – when choosing them in the store check the label first.
7. Try buying a mix of frozen and fresh foods to give you more choice and time to eat them.
8. Meals made from leftovers can be delicious and save you both time and money