Food waste: UK throws away the equivalent of 6 meals a week

Comment:

Food waste: waste not, want not doesn’t seem to apply to British society.

Food waste: It’s a wrap!

According to research published by the Waste and Resources Action Programme (Wrap), British households throw away £60 worth of food per week.

The main reasons for throwing so much food away are mainly the best before labelling and promotions – consumers end up buying more than they need and end up not using all the food they purchased. There is a fair amount of confusion between “use by” and “best before” dates.

Bread, milk and potatoes are the most discarded food waste items.

Other household food waste that gets discarded are bagged salads. Food waste is becoming a serious cost for the overall UK economy and a huge financial burden for individual households. If only household food waste could be turned into organic waste recycling some of the cost could be recouped.

The role of the food industry

The food industry is being urged to include innovation in their business plans – and to educate consumers to waste less food. This will ultimately be good news for the economy in general.

We believe that reducing waste starts with education: both children and adults need to learn how to buy and cook food, appreciate its value and not rely so heavily on processed foods.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-24846612