A generation gap in attitudes towards cooking and eating is helping to fuel the UK’s food waste mountain, research reveals, driven by time-poor millennials who do not understand the value of the food on their plate.



In contrast to savvy older consumers familiar with post-war rationing, the study suggests, those aged 18 to 34 are preoccupied by the visual presentation of food to photograph and share on social media while failing to plan meals, buying too much and then throwing it away.

The UK churns out 15m tonnes of food waste a year – of which 7m tonnes come from households. The estimated retail value of this is a staggering £7.5bn, and the government’s waste advisory body, Wrap, calculates that a typical family wastes £700 of food a year.

A national supermarket study of the food waste patterns of 5,050 UK consumers, published on Friday, reveals nearly two-fifths of those aged over 65 say they never waste food, compared with just 17% of those under 35.

The research by Sainsbury’s found more than half (55%) of 18- to 34-year-olds had a “live to eat” attitude to food – more about pleasure than necessity but with higher shopping bills and more waste. Older generations were more likely to “eat to live” with lower grocery bills and reduced waste.

Millennials – those born in or after the mid-1980s – were also the most likely to try unusual recipes to create Instagram-friendly dishes, involving exotic ingredients that are harder to reuse.

“A post-war increase in household food waste is due to changes in how we value choice, time and money in relation to food,” said food historian and broadcaster Dr Polly Russell. “Gone are the days of eating the same food, on the same days of the week, week in, week out. Most people today, particularly younger generations, demand variety. However, with a menu which changes often, it is more challenging to control waste and plan ahead.”

The over-55s are the most comfortable in the kitchen, the survey found, with just 18% wishing they knew more about managing and cooking food. In contrast, more than half of those aged 18 to 34 admit a lack of culinary know-how. When it comes to throwing away leftovers, 18- to 34-year-olds are the most likely culprits, with 17% of them leaving leftovers three or more times a week.



Younger consumers also fail to plan ahead. Some 20% of those under 35 admit to wasting the most food after a big shopping trip, compared with 8% of 55- to 64-year-olds and just 7% of the 65-plus age group.

The findings are part of Sainsbury’s £10m “waste less, save more” scheme to help households save money by cutting food waste. It is awaiting the results of a year-long trial in the Derbyshire market town of Swadlincote, which was chosen as a testbed for reducing household food waste.



