Families throw away £1,000 of food a year

Vegetables most likely to be discarded, research shows, as experts say that wasting produce is ‘systemic issue’

‘Household food waste is a systemic issue – the underlying causes are wideranging and deeprooted’ ‘Where and when we shop, our social and work lives – these are just some influences on food waste’

FAMILIES throw away £1,000 worth of food a year, with fresh vegetables and salad most likely to end up in the bin, research shows.

Last year, 6.4 million tons of food was wasted across the UK, with some discarded because it was past the date on the label despite being edible.

Households have been advised to take steps to reduce waste including not peeling carrots and potatoes and making sure that fridge temperatures are set below 5C to ensure products last longer.

The latest research by the charity Waste & Resources Action Programme (Wrap), shows that in 2021-22, households across the UK threw away food worth a total of £17billion. This is equivalent to £250 per person each or £1,000 for a household of four.

Fresh vegetables and salads were most likely to end up in the bin, followed by meals, bakery, dairy and eggs.

Potatoes came out as the most likely individual food to be wasted, driven by peelings being discarded, Wrap noted.

Disposing of food waste costs local councils around £510 million, the research found. Wrap said: “Food not used in time – it either smelled or looked off, or was past the date on the label – accounted for approximately 40 per cent of wasted food.

“A further 25 per cent was associated with too much being cooked, prepared or served.

“Another 22 per cent was associated with people’s preferences: not wanting to eat that element of the food or perceiving it as inedible.”

The amount wasted for 2021-22 was up by more than 10 per cent since 2018, the last data available. It is thought the increase could be partly related to the pandemic as people were consuming more at home, but also because of the cost of food being low at the time. Wrap added: “Household food waste is a systemic issue – while the immediate causes for this waste link to food going off, leftovers from cooking and food left on plates, the underlying causes are wide-ranging and deep-rooted.

“The design of our kitchens and its appliances, social norms around food, our social and work lives – these are just some of the influences on food waste in the home.”

The group has started a Love Food, Hate Waste campaign to advise people on how to reduce the amount that they throw away. Tips to prevent food waste include writing a shopping list, and planning a flexible meal plan which includes space for meals that are made using food that is close to going off in the fridge. The charity is also working alongside the Government, local councils and food retailers to try to reduce the problem.