The Bulletin
Household freezers help cut lock down food waste Research carried out for WRAP has shown a marked reduction in household food waste as consumers make better use of their freezers. But alongside messages about the benefits of freezing fresh produce there should be an equally strong call for people to buy ready-frozen food.
Freezer use has increased during the lock down according to new WRAP research.
With the coronavirus crisis having a profound impact on our daily lives, WRAP used its bi-annual Citizen Survey to learn more about how lock down was affecting consumer behaviour. The survey, ‘Citizen responses to the COVID-19 lock down – food purchasing, management and waste’, compares current citizen behaviour with that reported in previous surveys. As supermarkets continue to operate strict social distancing rules, restaurants remain closed and many people are working from home with their families, food shopping habits have inevitably changed. The survey shows we are shopping less frequently and buying more items. Crucially, it also reveals householders have become more resourceful in managing food, using up cupboard stocks, meal planning, batch-cooking and freezing. As consumers adopt these new habits, more are managing to reduce food waste.
New habits cutting food waste A new-found attention to storage is reflected in the huge rise in visits to the Love Food Hate Waste Food Storage A–Z. Visits have increased by 158% since the lock down began, with people actively seeking information to help them manage their food better.
26 |
But of all the actions people reported as being useful, ‘freezing more food’ rated most useful of all by 97% of recipients. Saving leftovers, batch cooking and making a shopping list were also rated highly by more than 95% of respondents. Marcus Gover, CEO of WRAP, said: “In this sustained period of uncertainty, UK citizens have shown how resilient they can be when it comes to managing their food. These actions should mean less food goes to waste, helping take the pressure off the supply chain and reducing the number of trips we need to make to the shops – or deliveries to our homes..” But while respondents to the survey have been willing to adopt many new behaviours, the results reveal several important knowledge gaps around how best to reduce the amount of food thrown away. Almost 40% of people believe food such as chicken breasts must be frozen on the day of purchase, when in fact these can be frozen up to the ‘use by’ date, giving people more flexibility around when to freeze such foods. Helen White, special advisor for household food waste at Love Food Hate Waste, said: “It’s so encouraging to see this uptake in good food behaviours, especially during challenging times. Taking on new behaviours is a big change for people, so we want to provide the answers to people’s questions and fill in these knowledge gaps where we can.”
