Scotland throws away 1 billion portions of fresh fruit and vegetables a year that could count towards the nation’s 5 A DAY.
The alarming discovery was made by the government’s Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP) Scotland, which has just published a 168-page report called The Food We Waste in Scotland. Other findings were that the total value of food needlessly thrown away is £1bn a year, at a loss to the average household of £430.
WRAP Scotland’s study surveyed 1,169 homes across Scotland which had their waste collected for analysis and categorisation with their consent during autumn 2008.
It found the fresh produce lines were among the most thrown away. Some 62,000 tonnes of fresh vegetables and salads are binned by the Scottish each year and 34,000t of fresh fruit. The most commonly disposed fruits were apples, followed by bananas and oranges. Potatoes were the most commonly disposed vegetable, but of the vegetables and salads that count towards 5 A DAY, carrots and tomatoes topped the waste table. These volumes are equivalent to four portions of waste per person per week.
Iain Guillard, WRA director for Scotland, said: “This research shows the massive financial and environmental burden of food waste. Scottish households are throwing out huge amounts of food, most of which could have been eaten, and this costs us dearly. Not only are we paying for this food at the check-out, we are also paying to dispose of it through our council tax. This is a terrible waste.”
Through the report, WRAP Scotland hopes to raise awareness among householders of the needless food waste they generate, as well as direct them to make changes to avoid it through www.wasteawarelovefood.org.uk
A spokeswoman told freshinfo: “ We hope that not only will consumers reduce their food waste, but that stakeholders all the way along the supply chain will look at what they can do, perhaps in terms of pack sizes and weights, for example. We also found that there could be consumer confusion in what a 'display until' date and a 'sell by' date mean to shoppers.”
