Bananas are officially the most wasted food item with fruit, salad and vegetables all representing the most wasted items in the weekly shopping basket, according to new research.
A survey by Retail Active revealed the banana topped the list, with a family of four throwing away an average of £15.70-worth of food every month. But people aged over 57 are the least wasteful, throwing away an average of just £3.36 per month.
Those people living in cities generally waste the most food. Single men, aged between 25 and 35, waste food worth an average of £17.43 a month, making them the worst culprits for wastage.
The South East of England has the highest food waste tally, second is the North West and the area with the least wastage is Scotland, according to the data.
Nearly three-quarters of the responders said they believed their food waste had little or no consequence for the environment. Some 40 per cent think food waste is good for the economy because it keeps production moving, while 77 per cent said they do not consider the impact on the global environment when buying food.
Just six per cent of the purchasers polled checked sell-by dates but of those that did, the vast majority, 92 per cent, chose food from the rear of the shelf to get maximum food freshness.
Julian Chamberlain, Retail Actives managing director, said: “The amount of food we waste is a serious issue. Our survey helps to pinpoint who are the worst offenders, the most considerate and the most wasted items. The poor old banana came top... We used our vast database to conduct a poll of a representative sample of 2,000 people and it gives us some fascinating insights.”
The main reasons for food waste were identified as poor planning, busy lifestyles, bad habits, laziness and too large portion sizes for both ready-to-eat and prepared food.
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