New research by Tesco shows that the average British family is wasting approximately £800 worth of edible food a year.
The nationwide study reveals three quarters of UK households (77%) say they throw away unopened or unused food, more than a third (37%) doing so on at least a monthly basis and a staggering half a million people are throwing away food they forgot to eat or never opened on a daily basis.
The research revealed the top items most commonly wasted in UK homes includes chicken breasts; potatoes; sliced bread; lettuce; milk and bananas.
The campaign comes at a time when cost of living challenges have caused many households to explore savvy ways to save. Over three in five (61%) are now planning to shop more carefully and only buy what they need. While many (45%) want to take steps to reduce the amount of food they waste at home, the research has found that lack of time, planning and understanding about what they can cook, and by when, is getting in the way.
To help families battle their binning and make their food and money go further, Tesco has teamed up with Unilever brand, Hellmann’s, to create a ‘Use Up Day’ campaign. This will be to encourage the nation to – once a week – cook a meal using up food they already have in their kitchen.
A recent study by Hellmann’s, which was the largest and longest behavioural study into household food waste, demonstrated that the average family could reduce the amount of food thrown away at home by a third and save around a third of waste per year by adopting this simple food hack, which equates to a potential financial saving of £260 per year.
The campaign will dish up a range of resources for consumers including a ‘Use Up Day’ guide to help families find their perfect ‘Use Up Day’ and a variety of recipes that make use of commonly thrown away ingredients. Tesco’s recipe finder tool can also help shoppers discover new recipes in seconds by inputting spare, leftover and unused ingredients.
For shoppers eager to reduce waste and spend less, Tesco’s new food waste hub also includes money saving tips and advice on how to make batch-cooking a budget-friendly game-changer that turns your freezer into your new best friend.
Food waste doesn’t just impact our pockets, it is also a major environmental threat, contributing to around 8 per cent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions.
In the UK, it is estimated that 71 per cent of food waste happens in our homes, creating a significant opportunity for supermarkets to support shoppers to cut waste, save money and help the planet.
