Families chuck away enough food to make six meals a week, to the tune of a staggering £12.5billion a year.
According to a damning report by MPs into food waste, the average household could save a massive £400 a year – if only they eat what they brought.
This fascinating insight into the UK’s wasteful habits was revealed in report, published by MPs.
Worrying though, experts have claimed that as the global population grows, more pressure will be put on food supplies under more pressure. Meaning, if we don’t tackle Britain’s excessive waste now – then we will suffer in the future.
The report, compiled by the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee, claims of the 15million tons of food wasted, nine million tons are completely edible. Anne McIntosh, Tory chairman of the committee, said: ‘Nine million tons of food goes into bins each year, yet a considerable proportion is fit for consumption.
‘This level of waste is unacceptable economically, socially and environmentally.’
The main problem, according to the MPs’ report, is food is being wasted at every stage. Deformed fruit and veg is left rotting in farmers’ fields, meat is rapidly passing its sell-by date on supermarket shelves, and tons of perfectly edible food is being needlessly binned.
Whose to blame?
The report outlines: ‘Half the UK’s food waste (around seven million tons) occurs in the home, with the average household throwing away the equivalent of six meals every week at a cost of £250–£400 a year.’
While, farmers and other food manufacturers waste around four million tons – 27 per cent of the nation’s waste. Whereas retailers and food distributors throw away 0.4million tons – under 3 per cent.
Despite these extraordinarily findings, MPs claims that too many of us are going hungry. The report said: ‘Food donations were used to meet the food needs of an increasing number of people.
‘The Trussell Trust estimated that some 913,000 people had received foodbank support in 2013–14. Oxfam estimates that one in six parents have gone without food themselves in order to feed their family.’
A Government spokesman said: ‘It is wrong that anyone should go hungry at the same time as food is going to waste.
‘We support industry’s action on this, and want to help them build on progress to date.’
Food minister George Eustice told the committee that the Government has tried to reduce waste by changing advice on best-before dates.
How do you think we could cut down these levels of food wastage?
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