There’s a lot of waste in the food value chain. This infographic from WRAP UK (2009/10 data.) suggests consumers have control over a lot of that waste.[1. Percentages denote amounts of food wasted as a proportion of that produced for UK consumption]
But this masks the picture, as revealed by a recent report by WRAP working with Tesco, which shows that more than two-thirds of produce grown for bagged salads and just under half of all bakery goods are thrown away. Tesco has agreed to do something about it, by limiting the offers available on certain lines, but so can consumers, by buying only what they need (some families could save more than £500/year) and storing fruit better, which should make it last a lot longer.
What will our local supermarkets be doing? We’re keen to find out.
For info, Tesco achieved its goal of diverting 100 percent of waste from UK operations away from landfill in 2009.