07/11/2013

Average UK Household Throws Away Six Meals Every Week

The average UK household throws away the equivalent of six meals every week, costing us as a nation £12.5 billion a year, or almost £60 a month to the average family, despite a significant drive to reduce food waste, a new report reveals.

The ground-breaking report into UK food waste by WRAP also reveals that since 2007 we have cut avoidable household food waste by an impressive 21%, which saved cash strapped consumers almost £13 billion. Yet we still throw away a staggering 4.2 million tonnes (Mt) of household food, which could have been eaten. Almost half of this food goes straight from our fridges or cupboards to the bin and doesn’t even make it onto our dinner plates.

WRAP has also carried out work which shows it could be possible to reduce avoidable household food waste by a further 1.7 million tonnes a year by 2025. Given the financial and environmental benefits of such a reduction to the UK, WRAP's CEO, Dr Liz Goodwin has called for a "major combined effort" with retailers, brands, governments and consumers to work together towards a common goal. This could result in the UK halving avoidable food waste by 2025 compared to when we started work on this in 2007, thereby saving consumers and Local Authorities billions of pounds.

The top three foods that Britons are throwing away uneaten include every day essentials: bread, potatoes and milk. The equivalent of a staggering 24 million slices of bread, 5.8 million potatoes and 5.9 million glasses of milk are wasted daily. Chicken also made the top ten with the equivalent of 86 million chickens thrown away each year, despite being the nation’s favourite meat.

(CD/IT)

Related UK National News Stories
Click here for the latest headlines.

08 May 2008
Food Waste Costs £10 Billion, Says Report
A report launched today reveals that consumers are dumping 6.7 million tonnes of food every year in England and Wales. The Food We Waste report - believed to be the first of its kind in the world - consisted of a detailed survey of households and a physical analysis of their waste.
28 March 2008
School's Out For Junk Food
The School Food Trust is to set in motion measures that will curb school children binging on junk food. Currently in some parts of England, pupils have a choice of more than 40 fast food shops, with many targeting children with special lunch menus.
06 October 2008
New Council of Food Policy Advisors Announced
The establishment of a new team of advisers on food policy from 'the farm to the fork' has been announced today by Hilary Benn, Secretary of State for the Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs.
18 April 2008
Calls For Tougher Junk Food Advertising Laws
More than eighty percent of adults believe junk food advertising can make it difficult to feed children healthy food, a new survey has claimed. Consumer watchdog Which? Found 83% of consumers surveyed wanted the government to become more involved in controlling the marketing of unhealthy food to children. In total 2,000 people were questioned.
25 October 2004
Tourists warned of risks of bringing food into the UK
The risks and controls prohibiting people bringing food into the UK from EU countries have been highlighted today as part of a public awareness campaign launched today. The current rules mean that it is illegal to bring meat and milk-based products for personal use back into the UK from outside the EU.