Love Food Hate Waste reports significant progress on reducing food waste

New research has shown a sharp fall in the amount of food people are throwing away from their homes every year, down 13% or just over 1 million tonnes.  That is enough food waste to fill Wembley Stadium to the brim. 

But it also shows that people have much left to do as with rising food prices it’s still costing £12bn a year, or £50 for the average family.  The reduction will be due to a combination of different factors, from rising food prices to the work of Love Food Hate Waste and its many partners, including retailers, councils and community groups. 

Love Food Hate Waste was launched in 2007 to help raise awareness of the issue and also to offer easy, everyday actions that we can all do to reduce the amount of food people throw away.  Shropshire Council has been a partner in the national campaign since it started.  Since 2006/07, household food waste has dropped from 8.3 million tonnes to 7.2 million tonnes a year – almost all of which could have been eaten. 

This is a huge achievement by the British public, and Love Food Hate Waste would like to say a massive thank you to everyone who has made positive changes to the way they plan, cook and store food. 

Councillor Mike Owen, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for economic growth and prosperity, said:

“This reduction has saved both the council and our residents money at a time when we all need it most.  The reduction of 1.1 million tonnes has saved councils up to £80 million a year by sending less food to landfill.

“On top of that, had the reduction not occurred, UK consumers would have been spending at least £2.5 billion a year more on food and drink bought, but then thrown away.  This is great news for us all and we will continue to support Love Food Hate Waste to help us all waste less, save money and help the environment. 

“We recently headed up a West Midlands-wide campaign co-ordinating the activities of 33 councils across the region.  We got significant external funding to find lots of innovative ways to engage with residents to help them save on their food bills and made big savings by working together.”