UK bins £8bn food every year

New research has revealed that the UK throws away £8 billion worth of food every year.

The study by WRAP (Waste and Resource Management Programme) also found that UK households end up throwing away around one third of the fruit and vegetables that they buy - totting up a total waste of £3 billion.

Every day the UK dumps 4.9 million potatoes, 4.4 million apples, 2.8 million tomatoes, 1.6 million bananas and 1.2 million oranges.

If everyone in the UK stopped buying food that they end up throwing away, 15 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions would be saved every year because of cutbacks in emissions from production, distribution, and packaging. That’s equivalent to taking one in five cars in the UK off the road.

The main reason for dumping fruit and veg is poor storage conditions. Over half of the households questioned said that they store fruit at room temperature, where it goes off more quickly. Storing fruit in the fridge means that it can last up to 2 weeks longer.

Other reasons for wasting food include cooking too much, and forgetting what is in the fridge, so buying more when it isn’t needed.

WRAP are encouraging people to look at recommended portion sizes on foods like rice and pasta before they cook, and to check the food they currently have before going out shopping.