4.4 million whole potatoes.
2.7 million whole carrots.
2.2 million slices’ worth of ham.
All of this and more is wasted every single day in UK homes, but why does this happen? From over-portioning to personal preference, let’s look at how we end up wasting food at home.
Not used in time
The main reason that food is wasted in our homes is because it wasn’t used in time, meaning it’s gone off in the back of the fridge or cupboard before we’ve had time to eat it.
This accounts for over 40% of the food we waste.
The good news is, this is a really easy issue to solve! Taking simple actions can help you use up all your food in time, from freezing food for another day to checking the date labels more carefully. Our sister brand ‘Love Food Hate Waste’ has plenty of tips to help with this, including the incredibly handy A-Z of Food Storage guide.
Personal preference
Sometimes, there are bits of our food that we just really don’t fancy eating. Whether it’s bread crusts or apple peel, there are certain things that put some people off. This is what we call ‘personal preference’, and it makes up 28% of the food we throw away.
Again, this is a simple issue to solve. Of the 6.6 million tonnes of food UK homes waste every year, 4.5 million tonnes could have been eaten, and there are some great ways to use it all up!
For example, did you know that the most wasted food in UK homes is potatoes – and most of this is because we throw away the peel? Try making skin-on mashed potato or homemade crisps out of the peel to stop all that valuable peel going to waste.
Bread crusts can be whizzed up into crumbs to use as a pasta or pie topping. Broccoli stems can be added to your stir fry or stew along with the florets. Carrots can be enjoyed without peeling them first – just a good scrub is all you need! Making the most of your edible food is easy, saves time and is fun.
Cooking, serving, or preparing too much
Some foods are hard to portion up, but overcooking, serving, or preparing accounts for 25% of wasted food. Freezing leftovers is a great solution, but making the perfect amount in the first place could be even better. Try Love Food Hate Waste’s portion planner to get started.
These reasons for waste are all really easy to tackle. We’re confident that every household in the UK can do their bit to reduce what gets thrown away, ultimately helping to protect our beautiful planet.