Wrap is addressing cost-of-living challenges in its third annual Food Waste Action week, to encourage consumers to adopt a range of skills that will potentially reduce the impact wasted food has on the environment.
According to the climate action NGO, 4.5 million tonnes of edible food is thrown away each year by UK households. On top of that, 25% of this wasted food is due to cooking, preparing or serving too much – costing UK households £3.5 billion each year.
Taking place between 6 – 12 March 2023, the theme for Food Waste Action Week 2023 is ‘Win. Don’t Bin.’ and has the mission of promoting the healthy use of leftovers to minimise food waste in households.
The drive is building on success of last year, which saw it go international for the first time – through Wrap’s Love Food Hate Waste campaign – with support from 80 organisations across 12 countries.
Subscribe to Grocery Gazette for free
Sign up here to get the latest grocery and food news each morning
The cost-of-living crisis is now the most severe threat the world’s population is currently facing, according to the World Economic Forum, and has left millions of people living with double and even triple-digit food inflation.
With one third of all food intended to be eaten – over 1.5 billion tonnes of food – going to waste each year, Wrap claims that reducing this number is crucial to slowing climate change.
“Fixing our failing food system is complex and multifaceted, and will require a complete overhaul,” Wrap interim CEO
“At a time when the world is experiencing rocketing food prices, when the number of people going hungry has increased in virtually every country, and when food waste is the culprit of between 8% to 10% of all global greenhouse gas emissions, the benefits of reducing this waste are multiple and cannot be ignored.”
He added: “It requires businesses reducing waste in their supply chains, as we are doing in our Courtauld 2030 agreement. It requires governments to include food waste policies in their net zero commitments.
“But especially, it requires all of us to take action in our own homes, as that is where a great deal of wasted food occurs – just under a billion tonnes per year,” Swannell commented.
In December, Wrap appointed Harriet Lamb as its new CEO, due to take her position next week on 15 March 2023.
