Families throw away almost a month's worth of food every year, according to a new study. The research found nearly half of parents in the UK admit to binning things which are still edible, with more than a third saying they bought too much when shopping.
The findings were based on a survey of 1,800 parents with a child under 18 who still lives at home, conducted by OnePoll for cracker and biscuit company Jacob's. Researchers worked out that families spend £1,225 per year, a fifth of their weekly food shop, on snacks.
However, almost half said they spend this sum despite having the makings of a snack already in the fridge - which Jacob's said leads to over £409 of food being wasted each year, nearly equivalent to a month’s food shop. A fifth (20%) of those who took part in the survey said they would never think to look in the fridge and use up food already in there when creating a snack.
Almost half (47%) of UK parents said they throw away food which is still edible or able to be eaten safely, despite feeling guilty about this (53%). The main reasons for this are packets being opened for too long (41%) or too much food bought when shopping (33%), meaning it goes out of date before being eaten, as well as people not knowing what to do with their leftover food (25%).
Jacob’s has launched an initiative called the Less Waste More Taste Snackademy with actor Jac Jossa and food waste chef Martyn Odell. This will offer recipes and tips from chefs and influencers to help people create snacks using food they already have in their fridges and cupboards.
Jac said: “As a busy mum, there are sometimes moments when it’s easier to grab ready made snacks, especially on a day where the kids are being fussy or want to eat different things. However, with the help of Jacob’s Snackademy, I’ve learnt some really easy, tasty and quick recipes made from the stuff in the back of the fridge or cupboard that everyone can have up their sleeve! Using up these ingredients can help to reduce food waste and save money throughout the year.
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Chef Martyn Odell, who specialises in showing people how to cook without wasting food, has created the recipes. He said: "The recipes I’ve created all showcase how, with just a humble cracker, you can quickly knock up fresh and delicious snacks using food you already have at home. One of the best ways to fight food waste is to be more resourceful with the food you have, the Jacob’s Snackademy snacks are a great way to use up all those little bits and bobs leftover in your fridge that you may not know what to do with and so often throw away.”
Kate Stokes, senior brand manager at Jacob's, said: “At Jacob’s, we’re on a mission to help families achieve Less Waste and deliver More Taste by showing how they can turn food which would otherwise go to waste, into delicious snacks. The Less Waste, More Taste Snackademy is just one way in which we’re helping families to bring more taste to their daily snacks and supports our partnership with FareShare to redistribute the equivalent of 40,000 meals to help fight hunger.”
