Love Food Hate Waste

Ruth Roberts

Love Food Hate Waste: how it began

WRAP launched Love

Food Hate Waste in
2007 to help UK
households recognise
and tackle the issue of

Household food and drink in the UK

Household kerbside
collections of
residual waste
Household food
waste collections

1. Waste Data Flow

2. Review of Municipal Waste Composition
3. The Food We Waste (WRAP)

Household waste
recycling centres

Home composting
and fed to animals
Sewer

Kitchen Diary (WRAP)

Down the Drain (WRAP)

27%

22%
2%

49%

Household food and drink

waste in the UK
Total food and drink waste

Avoidable
4.4m tonnes

Possibly Avoidable
1.4m tonnes

7.2m
tonnes

Unavoidable
1.4m tonnes

Household food and drink

waste in theAvoidable
UK
4.4m
tonnes

Prepared, served,
or cooked too
much

Not used
in time

Household food and drink

waste
All
types of food and drink are
thrown away.
The most prominent by
weight are;
Fresh vegetables and
salad
drink
fresh fruit

EACH DAY in the UK, we throw away around

4.1m
apples
5.3m potatoes
1.7m
bananas
1.4m sausages

1.3m
eggs

The average home throws away 270 kg of food

and drink per year

5kgs per week

120kg per person,
per year

We all throw away food

1

16 - 24

25 - 34

35 44

Age

45 - 54

55 - 64

65+

Environmental Impact
Producing, storing and transporting
food to us uses up a lot of energy
and resources
The equivalent of 17 million tonnes
of carbon dioxide per year
If we were to stop wasting food it would
be the equivalent of taking1 in 5 cars off

Environmental Impact
Sending food to landfill generates methane
which is one of the most harmful
greenhouse gases

Financial impact
UK householders are throwing away 12
billion worth of good food and drink every
year.
480 per household per year
680 per household with children
per year

What are the retailers

doing to help?

What is the Courtauld

Commitment?
A voluntary agreement between WRAP and
individual retailers and brands to improve
resource efficiency and reduce the carbon
and wider environmental impact of the
grocery retail sector.

53 retailers and brands

including

Courtauld Commitment
targets:
To reduce the carbon impact of
grocery packaging by 10%
To reduce UK household food and
drink waste by 4%
To reduce grocery packaging waste in
the supply chain by 5%

Helping consumers buy the

right amount

Helping consumers buy the

right amount

Helping consumers keep

food at its best

Helping consumers keep

food at its best

Practical Tips and Advice

Five Key Behaviours

It pays to plan
Know your dates
Savvy storage
Perfect portions
Lovely Leftovers

Key Behaviour 1
It Pays to Plan

The benefits of planning

Planning can help you to save time and money by
encouraging you to:

use up the food you already have

only buy what you need
avoid impulse buys
eat a more nutritionally balanced diet
use up food from your freezer
prepare meals in advance
involve members of the family

Key Behaviour 2
Know your
dates

Key Behaviour 3
Savvy storage

Using the Freezer

Food can theoretically be stored
in the freezer forever - it only
deteriorates in quality, not
safety
Changes in quality include
colour, texture and flavour
Thaw food in fridge so that it
doesn't get too warm. Eat
within 24 hours after its been
defrosted

Key Behaviour 4
Perfect portions

Perfect
Portions
Weigh or measure your food
work out the right amount for
you.
Encourage people to serve
themselves from dishes on the
table
You dont need any fancy tools a
mug, tablespoon, spaghetti

Key Behaviour 5
Lovely leftovers

Five Key Behaviours

It pays to plan
Know your dates
Savvy storage
Perfect portions
Lovely Leftovers

Passing the message

on.