Nearly a third of adults feel “forced” into buying larger packets or portions of food than they need – resulting in £21 billion worth of food being thrown away across the UK each year. The typical household will throw away £405 worth of wasted food a year, with bags of salad, and vegetables including carrots and potatoes, as the main culprits destined for the bin.
And 29 per cent blame this on buying larger portions of food than they need for a recipe, according to a poll of 2,000 people. In fact, more than two-thirds of adults admit they have purchased food items knowing full well they will not use them and end up throwing them away – with 28 per cent doing so on a weekly basis.
And 37 per cent know they won’t use the entirety of a product before its expiry date. It also emerged 30 per cent of parents believe they waste more food now than they ever did pre-children.
Olympic champion, Greg Rutherford, and mother of his three children, Susie Verrill, have partnered with sustainable chef, Martyn Odell, and Jacob’s, which commissioned the research, to help encourage Brits to be more resourceful with their food.
To highlight how much food households waste every year, the savoury cracker brand has created a 4.5 metre high fridge on London’s Southbank, filled with the most commonly wasted food items – where Martyn will be creating recipes using these products.
Jacob's has also partnered with food waste charity, FareShare, to donate 40,000 meals over the next year, to support the charity’s network of nearly 9,500 charities and community organisations across the UK.
Rutherford said: “While most people know me as a long jumper, my most important role is doing my best to be a champion dad. I hate food waste, and it’s important to both Susie and I to set a good example to our kids.
“We all need to think more carefully about the food we buy. When we’re shopping, taking time to think about what we really need, and doing a bit of planning about how we can use everything, can go a long way.
“I’m delighted to be working with Martyn, one of the most innovative food waste chefs in the country, to help more Brits understand how they can get more creative with the food in their fridges.”
The study also found that blueberries, cucumber, and cream are also commonly thrown out having only had a fraction of the product used – as well as oranges, apples, and grapes. But nearly half of adults (43 per cent) believe they need to be more resourceful with food now due to the cost-of-living crisis, and how expensive everything is getting.
It also emerged that, for some, each item of food is a one hit wonder, with one in five (19 per cent) saying they don’t bother to eat leftovers – and only 17 per cent will invent recipes based on food they have left over in their fridge.
The research, conducted via OnePoll, also found nearly half of those with children (47 per cent) bemoan the fact kids will ask for something specific to eat – only to then change their mind. And 28 per cent aren’t quick enough to catch food their little ones fling to the floor, meaning it’s destined straight for the food waste bin.
Following the findings, Jacob’s has also created an insightful quiz which reveals how resourceful you are when it comes to food waste.
Odell said: “I’m passionate about helping people to reduce their food waste, and one of the easiest ways to do this is to eat the food you buy – and we want to help people do just that. These simple snack ideas using Jacob’s crackers have been created using the most commonly wasted food items, so as to help people use up the food they would otherwise throw away.”
