Sin binned Food waste tops $2.4b a year
Households are wasting about $1259 each in food a year, up from $1121 two years ago, prompting calls for people to look more closely at what they are buying, preparing and eating.
The Rabobank-Kiwi-Harvest survey, conducted in April, found the value of food being thrown out by households had increased even though they were wasting less.
Households estimated they wasted about 8.6 per cent of their weekly food spend, down from 10.2 per cent in 2019, but the value had increased as a result of higher food prices, increased spending on household food, and a lift in the number of households.
Rabobank New Zealand chief executive Todd Charteris said households were wasting an estimated $2.4 billion of food per year, up from $2b in 2019, according to the research.
Some 79 per cent of those surveyed said they cared about reducing food waste but there was a significant disconnect between attitudes towards food waste and actions being taken, Charteris said.
‘‘Kiwis are now more likely to be eating leftovers, considering portion size, freezing uneaten food and eating food past the ‘best before’ date.’’
More people were using worm farms or composting, which helped reduce waste, he said. Still, nearly half had thrown away unopened or untried food in the past 12 months and only a third consistently planned their meals in advance, he said. ‘‘Kiwis need to look more closely at what they are buying, how much food they are preparing, and what they actually eat.’’
Fruit and vegetables were the most likely to be wasted, accounting for about two-thirds of all food waste, according to the survey. Bread accounted for just over a quarter of all wasted food, while meat contributed 6 per cent.
The biggest reason for throwing away food was ‘‘food going off before you can finish it’’, followed by ‘‘food going off before the useby or best-before date’’, and ‘‘food not tasting as good as expected’’.
People were most concerned about the money they were squandering when they wasted food. Their next most pressing concerns were guilt that other people in New Zealand or around the world were going without.
They were also concerned with the wasted time and effort that went into food which did not get eaten, the survey found.