According to a new Love Food Hate Waste survey, conducted with adults in the UK (16+) who buy fresh fruit and vegetables, 78% said they would be likely to buy their usual fruit and veg loose if they were sold that way.
Around 60,000 tonnes of food waste could be prevented if all apples, potatoes and bananas were sold loose, representing 8.2 million shopping baskets’ worth of food.
La Manna said: “It floors me that we are throwing away so many potatoes every year before we have had chance to use them. Buying them loose would allow us to choose an amount we know we’d realistically use, whether that is one giant potato for baking or a few smaller ones to make mash, and this goes for all fruit and veg! It is fantastic to partner with Love Food Hate Waste on this campaign and shout about the impact of food waste (my great passion) on both the planet and our pockets.”
Since 2021, Food Waste Action Week has been connecting businesses, Government organisations and global partners to increase awareness amongst citizens about the devastating impact that food waste is having on the planet.
When asked their reasons for why they throw away food that they had not eaten 75% of UK adults who admitted to doing this, stated that the food was out of date/had gone off, indicating that people are wasting food and buying more than they have time to use.
UK adults would prefer to buy loose over packaged across nearly all (19) of the 21 fruit and vegetable items measured in the survey, with bananas coming in top – 70% of those asked would prefer their bananas loose.
WRAP’s research has identified the potential to reduce household food waste by removing the packaging on uncut fresh fruit and veg, so that people can buy closer to their needs as well as eliminating a significant amount of unnecessary packaging.
WRAP has called for a consultation on a packaging ban on 21 fruit and veg items, to be developed via a formal consultation process. Selling these 21 items only loose could potentially save 100,000 tonnes of edible fruit and vegetables from being wasted annually in people's homes as well as saving 13,000 tonnes of plastic film.
Jackie Bailey, senior campaign manager at Love Food Hate Waste, added: “In the UK, 60% of all food waste comes from people’s homes, with fresh fruit and veg making up the largest proportion. Buying loose fruit and veg has the potential to significantly cut the amount of food ending up in the bin and we have the evidence that it is what consumers want – now is the time for retailers and shoppers to make that a reality.
“Increasing loose fruit and veg offerings in store will not only reduce plastic waste, it will also enable shoppers to buy closer to their needs, slashing food waste and preventing tens of thousands of tonnes of CO2 emissions.”
Food waste facts:
- 4.7 million tonnes of edible food is thrown away in UK households each year which is worth £17bn.
- Food waste accounts for 18 million tonnes of CO2 in the UK.
- 60,000 tonnes of food waste could be prevented if all apples, potatoes and bananas were sold loose, representing 8.2 million shopping baskets’ worth of food.
- 510,000 tonnes of potatoes are binned every year before we get round to using them, representing 46% of all potatoes bought in the UK.
- Food waste costs on average £1,000 for a household of four every year.