The fact that the country continues to face an uncertain economic future has not deterred UK consumers from wasting considerable amounts of food, particularly fresh produce.
That is the verdict of a new nationwide survey carried our by business intelligence company Retail Active, which has revealed that fruit, vegetables and salad products are the most wasted items in the average UK shopper's basket, with bananas in particular topping the tree.
The group used its extensive database to conduct a poll of a representative sample of 2,000 people in the UK.
According to the survey, people living in cities waste the most food, with single men aged 25-35 in these areas top of the pile, wasting food worth on average £17.43 (€19.21) per month.
Results showed that a family of four throws away an average of £15.70 (€17.30) worth of food each month, while people aged 57 or throw away an average of £3.36 (€3.70) per month, making them the least wasteful category.
'The amount of food we waste is a serious issue,' said Retail Activities managing director Julian Chamberlain. 'Our survey helps to pinpoint who are the worst offenders, the most considerate, and the most wasted items. The poor old banana came top.'
Mr Chamberlain noted that nearly three quarters of the responders said they believed their food waste had little or no consequence for the environment.
'40 per cent actually think food waste is good for the economy – because it keeps production moving,' he said. '77 per cent said they do not consider the impact on the global environment when buying food.'
Themain reasons for food waste were identified as poor planning, busylifestyles, bad habits, laziness and too large portion sizes for bothready to eat and prepared food.
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