A new survey has found that the average British household wastes four weeks’ worth of food each year, which amounts to losses worth more than £133.
Families were asked to detail the contents of their fridge and it was discovered that the average household buys 365 eggs a year, 231 pints of milk, 157 rashers of bacon and 55 loaves of bread, among other things.
The survey, by kitchen specialists Glotech Repairs, also asked people to estimate their food waste, which revealed that British households throw away an estimated 6% of their weekly shop. The most commonly discarded items were those that spoil quickly such as fruit, vegetables and bread, with almost 10% of these items being discarded.
That equates to 18 potatoes, 16 carrots, 15 apples, 13 bananas and four loaves of bread being wasted each year, the survey said.
It also found that 46% of Brits keep their bread in the fridge, despite this actually speeding up the growth of mould.
People in the North East spend the least on their weekly shop – a frugal £36.45 – but admitted throwing away the most at 8% of their total shop.
East Midlanders were found to purchase the most food with a whopping 112 items each week, compared to the national average of 94 products.
It was also revealed that consumers in East Anglian purchased the least with only 87 items each week, however they bought more milk, sausages, spring onion, chilli peppers and turkey than any other region.
The survey has highlighted the problem of food waste, as food becomes increasingly scarce. In April, The Trussell Trust revealed that they had provided more than 1.1 million emergency food supplies in the 2015/16 financial year, with over 400,000 of these going to children.
And the charity FoodCycle, which runs community projects across the UK to help reduce food poverty, said food waste not only has an impact on consumers’ pocket but on the environment too.
A spokeswoman for FoodCycle said: “There are some quite shocking facts which show the negative impact food waste can have on the environment.
“We find it so hard to believe that in a country, in 21st century Britain, the level of food waste is so high at the same time food poverty is so high.
“We know that there is good food that can be put to good use which can be saved and that is a challenge which we want to overcome.
“Finally the morality behind wasting food is another factor, so many resources and energy go into producing food and for that to go to waste is something that is concerning.”
© FoodBev Media Ltd 2024