Around 1m tonnes of food is binned whole or in unopened packaging at cost of £90 per household in UK, says Waste Resource Action Programme

As much as one-quarter of the “avoidable waste” food that is thrown away by households in the UK is still “untouched”, analysis of waste figures shows. “Avoidable waste” is defined as food and drink thrown away that was edible at some point prior to disposal.

This habit of regularly throwing away unused food, usually because it has been allowed to go past its eat-by date, is costing £2.4bn a year nationally or £90 per household. Food thrown away whole or in unopened wrapping amounts to 1m tonnes of the 4m tonnes of wasted food each year, according to a new report from the Waste Resource Action Programme, a government-sponsored initiative.

Adding the value of food and drink that is partly eaten before being thrown away, or cooked and then binned uneaten, the total cost of wasted food rises to about £200 a year for the average person.



Of the whole or unopened foods that end up chucked, about half is salad and vegetables. The waste is happening at a time when poorer and vulnerable people are reporting that they are cutting down on healthy fresh fruit and vegetables because they cost too much.



Wrap recommends simple actions including checking the fridge and cupboard before going shopping to avoid duplicating items, meal-planning and making a shopping list.

Food waste also adds indirectly to the cost of waste collections and landfill, Wrap notes, and to greenhouse gas emissions. The organisation is suggesting that each of us could choose just one bad habit to change.



Emma Marsh, head of Wrap’s Love Food Hate Waste campaign, said: “We all have our own reasons for why food gets thrown away at home, so there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. We want to get people to look at the huge volume of food and drink ending up in the bin and consider the one thing they might do differently to make sure food gets tasted, not wasted.”

Wrap has set up an online site with a portion calculator and a free app, with advice on how to buy and cook just what is needed, including recipes and tips for using up leftovers.

This week, ten cities across the UK will be begin taking part in campaigns to help people understand why they waste so much food, and to find easy ways to avoid it, including Belfast, Birmingham, Cardiff, Glasgow, Leeds, London, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham and Sheffield, with a variety of events planned between now and September.

Wrap is also urging retailers to do their bit by looking more closely at their packaging, for instance by considering whether their portion size is realistic or more reclosable packaging could be used to retain freshness. It also proposes changing the “freeze on day of purchase” instruction on packaging to “freeze by the date shown.”

• This article was amended on 11 July and on 3 September 2014. An earlier version said “Quarter of UK’s food thrown away ‘untouched’, waste figures show”. This has been corrected.