UK adults are throwing away an average of £572 worth of food every year, a survey conducted by personal finance experts has revealed.
The snap poll consisted of speaking to 612 UK adults, all of whom do a food shop at a frequency equal to or above once a week.
The sample was equally split across the regions of the UK and conducted with the backdrop of recent data suggesting that the UK is responsible for around 9.5 million tonnes of food waste a year, the equivalent of 139kg a year, per person.
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Respondents were initially asked if they had thrown away food that they knew was still edible, revealing that more than four in five UK adults admit to throwing away food they could have otherwise eaten.
The average value of food disposed of a week, as estimated by the respondents, equalled £11 a week, a total of £572 a year per person in the UK.
When asked what the main reasons for throwing away their food, the top reasons were found to be expiration date passing (93%) and visible signs of mould (81%).
The top food items thrown away, as listed by the respondents, are fruit and vegetables (74%), followed by dairy products (66%), bread variations (57%) and condiments (41%).
Of those that claimed to dispose of food before the item was inedible, the majority (66%) admitted that despite wanting to reduce their waste, they probably won’t anytime soon.
“Food waste is an epidemic across the globe, but with over 9.5 million tonnes of food being chucked in the bin a year across the UK, their needs to be a concerted effort to combat this,” My Favourite Voucher Codes managing director Julian House said.
“Not only does it have significant financial implications against the backdrop of the current cost-of-living crisis, but the ethics behind wasting so much food, when others are struggling to feed their families – it doesn’t sit right with me.
“We are all guilty of leaving leftovers from time to time, but the issue of food waste is a significant threat to the environment on a global scale. If we all do our part, we can work to reduce the wastage and help save our planet.”
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