The key reasons for most people relate to food spoilage and expiration dates, the complexity and unpredictability of daily life as well as issues with cooking and portion control. The survey also showed that 80% of people asked believe they waste less food than the national average.
Love Food Hate Waste is determined to change this perception, and Food Waste Action Week is setting the nation a five-day challenge to take food waste off the menu and enjoy the unexpected benefits that making the most of the food you buy can bring.
By the end of Food Waste Action Week, an average household of four will have already thrown away £200 worth of food they could have eaten.
Every year, 4.4 million tonnes of edible food is thrown away from UK homes, generating 16 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions. The total cost of food waste is a staggering £17 billion per year which is £1,000 a year for an average household of four.
On average, a person in the UK wastes food equivalent to three meals per week. What we waste as a nation per year would fill Wembley Stadiums eight times over and the Royal Albert Hall 88 times.
Catherine David, chief executive at WRAP, said: “No one is choosing to waste food, which is why this Food Waste Action Week we are highlighting all the ways to ‘Make your food go fuuuuurther’ by giving people all the tips and tricks they need to fight food waste. With councils now rolling out food waste recycling to people’s homes, any inedible food that does go in the bin can now be recycled. Love Food, Hate Waste!”