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16/05/2012
Report Finds UK Families Wasting £270 A Year On Discarded Food
New research has revealed that UK families are wasting £270 a year on unused food and drink, and massively underestimate the amount of food they throw away each week.
The survey shows that despite the economic downturn shoppers admit to buying more than they need, often tempted by supermarkets' "Buy One Get One Free" and similar offers.
The survey of 2,116 adults, carried out by frozen food giant Birds Eye, found that the average household spends £68 a week on food but that 91% of households with children admit to throwing some of that away.
Vegetables topped the list of the most commonly wasted food group, followed by bread and fruit, and 40% of those polled admitted they felt guilty for wasting food.
Lack of meal planning prior to shopping was another issue, with one in three people admitting to not planning.
The findings come as a new report, "Waste not, want not" by the Fabian Society and Birds Eye, which looks at consumer attitudes to food waste, is launched in parliament on Wednesday. It says that in order to address the problem of food waste, "it is essential we find fresh ways of communicating about it" and concludes that, "while individuals observe wasteful behaviour in others, they rarely reflect on their own lifestyles as contributing to the problem".
(H/GK)
The survey shows that despite the economic downturn shoppers admit to buying more than they need, often tempted by supermarkets' "Buy One Get One Free" and similar offers.
The survey of 2,116 adults, carried out by frozen food giant Birds Eye, found that the average household spends £68 a week on food but that 91% of households with children admit to throwing some of that away.
Vegetables topped the list of the most commonly wasted food group, followed by bread and fruit, and 40% of those polled admitted they felt guilty for wasting food.
Lack of meal planning prior to shopping was another issue, with one in three people admitting to not planning.
The findings come as a new report, "Waste not, want not" by the Fabian Society and Birds Eye, which looks at consumer attitudes to food waste, is launched in parliament on Wednesday. It says that in order to address the problem of food waste, "it is essential we find fresh ways of communicating about it" and concludes that, "while individuals observe wasteful behaviour in others, they rarely reflect on their own lifestyles as contributing to the problem".
(H/GK)
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