A new research, handled by Love Food Hate Waste, shows more than £15 billion worth of food and drink is tossed out every year. The average British household throws away proximately £572 of produce per year, mostly fresh meat, ready meals and fruit juices.
Disturbingly, nearly half of the households which took part in the research confessed they dispose of unopened food if it has gone past its “best before” date. Some openly admit they usually prepare more food than they could possibly eat and throw out the remainings instead of freezing the leftovers for later.
Based on the study, the West Midlands is named the food waste capital of Britain, with £731.64 of food (per household) dumped a year. That’s enough to prepare 73 red cross parcels for families struggling to survive.
London comes second with £659.36 (per household) worth of food wasted, and the North East – third, throwing out £632.84 worth of food per home.
Another shocking reveal made by The Trussell Trust shows the number of needy people who look for handouts to survive has tripled in a year. The food bank charity has given out supplies to more than 350,000 people for the second and third quarter of this year – three times more than last year.
Experts say we’ve become extremely wasteful with the rising variety of products offered in supermarkets and stores. We buy more, and throw out even more! Fortunately, there are simple steps we can all take to reduce food waste.
Image source: www.flickr.com/photos/sandre2012/
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