WRAP report looking at food waste during lockdown

WRAP have published a report looking at how UK citizens are managing their food  in lockdown, with the new behaviours leading to a reported 34% reduction in waste of potatoes, bread, chicken, and milk. WRAP are calling for businesses, local authorities and others to help citizens make this the ‘new normal’.

Key findings

• Shopping patterns are in flux. Frequency of shopping is down (63% of UK citizens report they shopped less frequently in the past month) while the amount of food purchased is up (59% of citizens stating that they have bought more in the last month).
• Attitudes towards food waste have changed, with a 23% increase in citizens who ‘strongly agree that food waste is an important national issue’ and that ‘everyone, including me has a responsibility to minimise the food I throw away’.
• On average UK citizens have adopted 6 positive food management behaviours ‘more often’ in the past month. These include more pre-shop planning, better in-home food storage, freezing more and creative approaches to cooking and or food preparation.
• The vast majority (85% or more) of citizens undertaking more food management behaviours are finding them useful – especially freezing, batch cooking, saving leftovers, making a list and date labelling items for the freezer.
• These changes have contributed to a 34% reduction in respondents self-reported level of food waste across four key products – potatoes, bread, milk and chicken.

You can read the full press release here and the report here.