Food Waste Trends Survey 2019: Citizen behaviours, attitudes and awareness around food ... ·...

Key Findings Report

Food Waste Trends Survey 2019:

Citizen behaviours, attitudes and

awareness around food waste

Report of the Food Waste Trends Tracker, Spring 2019

Project code: CIT022-001

Research date: May 2019 Date: January 2020

Citizen behaviours, attitudes and awareness around food waste 2

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Document reference: WRAP, 2019, Banbury, Food Waste Trends Survey 2019: Behaviours, attitudes and awareness

around food waste, Prepared by WRAP

Written by: Mark Roberts, Lead Analyst, WRAP and Phil Downing, Director, Icaro Consulting

Front cover photography: Food shopping Imagery

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Contents

Executive Summary .............................................................................................. 4

Key findings .......................................................................................................... 4

Introduction ......................................................................................................... 8

1. Communications ............................................................................................. 10

1.1 Recall of food waste information .................................................................... 10

1.2 Recall of Love Food Hate Waste logo and materials ......................................... 11

1.3 Food waste conversations ............................................................................. 11

2. Attitudes to food waste .................................................................................. 13

2.1 Agency and responsibility .............................................................................. 13

2.2 Perceived impacts of food waste .................................................................... 14

3. Food behaviours and skills ............................................................................. 15

3.1 Pre-shop planning ........................................................................................ 15

3.2 Food shopping ............................................................................................. 16

3.3 Storage ....................................................................................................... 17

4. Estimating levels of food waste ...................................................................... 20


Executive Summary WRAP’s Citizen Food Waste Prevention (CFWP) programme aims to encourage

households to reduce food waste. As part of this, WRAP undertakes an annual survey

that tracks food waste attitudes, knowledge and behaviour. It is designed to provide

insights to inform the CFWP programme as well as playing an evaluation role to assess

any changes in attitudes and behaviour. A total of 2,199 interviews were undertaken in

May 2019.

Details of recent changes in household food waste can be found in the reports

‘Courtauld Commitment 2025 Milestone Progress’ and ‘UK progress against Courtauld

2025 targets and UN Sustainable Development Goal 12.3’, which are published

alongside this report. These provide an assessment of what is likely to have influenced

the amounts of food thrown away by citizens, and outlines what is still required to

achieve challenging national and international targets on food waste prevention1.

Key findings

Food waste communications

The results demonstrate two key changes in 2019:

• There has been a significant increase in citizens’ recall of food waste

information. Three quarters (75%) have seen or heard information about food

waste in the past year – either about the amount of food that is thrown away/wasted

(69%) or more specifically about how to plan, buy, store or prepare food to help reduce

the amount that gets thrown away (49%). In both cases this is the highest level

recorded by the survey.

• There has been a significant increase in WRAP’s Love Food Hate Waste brand

recognition - over one in five (22%) recall seeing the logo in the past year,

significantly higher than in previous years (when it was consistently in the range of

13%-16%). Furthermore, those who recall Love Food Hate Waste are more likely than

average to say that they have talked to others about food waste.

Attitudes to food waste

The results demonstrate that the majority of citizens acknowledge food waste as an

issue and recognise their own responsibility – close to four in five ‘strongly’ or ‘tend to’

agree that Food waste is an important national issue (82%) and Everyone, including me,

has a responsibility to minimise the food they throw away (87%). One of WRAP’s key

performance indicators is the proportion who ‘strongly agree’ with both statements

(and therefore have a high degree of ‘buy in’ to the issue and the need for action). In

2019 this represents three in ten citizens (30%).

The majority also believe they could and should take action on food waste - 66%

‘strongly’ or ‘tend to’ agree that it is possible for me to reduce the amount of food that I

1 https://wrap.org.uk/content/courtauld-commitment-2025-milestone-progress-report https://wrap.org.uk/content/uk-progress-against-courtauld-2025-targets-and-un-sustainable-development-goal-123

https://www.wrap.org.uk/food-drink/citizen-food-waste

https://wrap.org.uk/content/courtauld-commitment-2025-milestone-progress-report

https://wrap.org.uk/content/uk-progress-against-courtauld-2025-targets-and-un-sustainable-development-goal-123


https://wrap.org.uk/content/courtauld-commitment-2025-milestone-progress-report




waste, while 72% agree it will make a real difference if I reduce the amount of food that I

waste.

Citizens acknowledge a range of impacts associated with food waste – most commonly

in terms of wasting their own money (which 69% say is a significant impact). This is

followed by a sense of unfairness to those in the UK who don’t have enough to eat

(55%). Almost half (48%) see a significant environmental impact in terms of resource

use (e.g. water, energy), although fewer (39%) make a strong link between throwing

away uneaten food and climate change.

Food behaviours and skills

The survey tracks a number of different food behaviours and skills – from pre-shop

planning and checking through to purchase, storage and preparation – that could

potentially contribute to food waste in the home. The results demonstrate the

following:

• Pre-shop planning: almost three in ten (29%) say they make a shopping list and

checked the fridge, freezer and cupboards before their shops.

• Meal planning: almost one in three (32%) say they know all/most of their main meals

for the week – this has significantly fallen in recent years (e.g. from 54% in 2016).

• Food shopping: Citizens undertake a number of ‘at risk’ shopping behaviours, such as

buying food at a reduced price because it’s near the ‘use by’ date (33% ‘often’ do

this), buying a bigger or extra pack because it’s better value (24%) and buying extra

because an item is on special offer (23%). One in five (20%) say they often do 3+ of

these behaviours.

• Judging/buying the right amount: Just over one in four (26%) say they are weaker at

judging/ buying only what they are likely to use.

• Fridge/freezer management: Two in five (40%) say they are weaker at keeping track of

food in the fridge and over half (52%) for the freezer. Three in ten (30%) have

checked the fridge temperature in the past month and close to one in ten (9%) have

changed it. By contrast, 34% rarely or never check it and almost half (48%) rarely or

never change it.

• Storage knowledge: there are some notable gaps in knowledge, for example half of

citizens (50%) incorrectly believe that apples last for longest if they are stored at

room temperature out of the original packaging (as opposed to the fridge or in the

original packaging); and 52% incorrectly think the fridge should be set between 4-7

degrees (as opposed to below 5 degrees).

• On-pack storage or serving advice - just over half (55%) say they ‘regularly’ or ‘quite

often’ refer to on-pack information about how or how long to store items once they

have been opened, compared to 18% who ‘rarely/never’ do. Fewer refer to on-pack

information about how long items can be frozen for (37%) or portion guidance

(33%).

Levels of food waste

The survey estimates that, on average, almost one in four potatoes (22.8%) are thrown

away uneaten, compared to around a fifth of bread (21.5%), chicken (20.5%) and milk

(18.4%).


Based on citizens’ estimates of how much of these four items were thrown away

uneaten the last time they were purchased, around one in three (32%) classify as

having higher levels of food waste. This is more likely to be true of a number of sub-

groups within the population, most notably:

• Younger groups aged 18 – 44;

• Those with children at home; and

• Those experiencing one or more of the following life changes in the past year:

moved in or married someone, leaving home for university, moving jobs, someone

moving out of the home, or being pregnant/had a baby.

Of all of the food behaviours and skills assessed by the survey, the strongest

association is with judging and buying the right amount. Among those who say they

are weaker at doing this, almost half (47%) have higher levels of food waste. This is

followed by those who often undertake three or more ‘at risk’ shopping behaviours,

those who are weaker at keeping track of food in the fridge, those who did not check

the fridge/freezer/cupboards before the last shop, and those who are weaker at

keeping track of food in the freezer – all of which are associated with a greater chance

of having higher levels of food waste.

Overall, the 2019 survey demonstrates the following:

• There have been several notable communications successes in the past year:

three quarters of citizens surveyed have seen or heard information about food

waste in the past year and there has been a significant increase in WRAP’s Love

Food Hate Waste (LFHW) brand recognition. In both cases this is the highest level

recorded by the survey.

• There remains scope for attitudinal change – while the majority acknowledge

food waste as an issue and recognise their own responsibility, somewhat fewer

(three in ten) strongly recognise both of these things. Furthermore, while

citizens acknowledge some of the impacts associated with food waste (most

commonly wasting money and being unfair to those in the UK who don’t have

enough to eat), fewer make a strong link to environmental issues and – in

particular - climate change.

• There is also considerable scope to support citizens to adopt food management

habits and practices that minimise the chance of uneaten food being thrown

away. Key areas include judging/buying the right amount, storage knowledge

(including freezer and fridge management) and using leftovers.

• Some audiences within the population are more likely to have higher levels of

food waste and/or would benefit more from being supported to adopt new

behaviours and practices to help reduce food waste and save them money. This

supports the need for targeted campaigns and interventions, either in terms of

specific socio-demographics (e.g. 18-34s, or those with children at home).


As highlighted in this research, there is still a lot more to do. More organisations

need to get behind the citizen campaigns and help to continue to build

momentum, increase awareness and change behaviours.

LFHW campaigns will continue building on the knowledge from this research with

campaigns planned for 2020. In addition, there is even more to come with the launch

of a new campaign - the Food Conversation in 2020 which dovetails into LFHW and

aims is to ‘wake up’ citizens who are not concerned and/or don’t feel responsible for

wasting food.

• Organisations can help amplify messages, so they reach more citizens more

often - whether they are staff, suppliers or customers. They can get involved by

supporting WRAPs campaigns on-line as well as in print and messages on

products; with freely available partner packs for use in the UK.

• Influential organisations can go one step beyond this and do more – from

activities or events on the ground or turning staff into ambassadors to engage

citizens to creating their own linked campaigns.

• To find out more contact [email protected].

mailto:[email protected]


Introduction In 2018, WRAP estimated annual food waste arisings within UK households, hospitality

& food service (HaFS), food manufacture, retail and wholesale sectors at around 9.5

million tonnes2. Around 70% (by weight) of this wasted food arises in households.

In light of this, one of WRAP’s main areas of focus is citizen food waste prevention. The

reasons why food ends up in the bin at home are complex and interconnected. After

substantial reductions in the amount wasted from 2007 to 2012, progress stalled

between 2012 and 2015. Therefore, the Citizen Food Waste Prevention (CFWP) team

developed a new programme that aimed to accelerate progress and increase the

likelihood of the UK achieving Courtauld 2025 and SDG12.3 targets.

To achieve change, an integrated programme of work – consisting of the following,

overlapping elements – has been developed:

1. Behaviour change interventions – focused interventions designed to address

specific behaviours, food products and motivations to achieve real change.

2. National communications through WRAP’s established brand, Love Food Hate

Waste – each year the CFWP team deliver four campaigns for partners and the

public to get involved in.

3. The Food Conversation is a national campaign aimed at establishing a

common social mind-set around the value of food, delivered independently

from Love Food Hate Waste.

4. Technical change – to advise and support manufacturers and retailers to make

changes to key food products to support changes to citizen’s behaviour

The Food Waste Trends survey is an annual tracker of UK households that gathers

insights to help inform WRAP’s CFWP programme of activity. The research aims to

understand the on-going impact of the CFWP programme on food waste behaviours,

attitudes and awareness. More specifically to:

• Measure food waste related behaviour, attitudes, knowledge (e.g. around date

labels), awareness and message recall / recognition.

• Determine how attitudes and behaviours relating to food waste are related to

household circumstances and demographics.

• Compare – where possible - the results with previous waves to track changes in

behaviour, attitudes and awareness.

Fieldwork was undertaken online in May 2019. A total of 2,199 interviews were

undertaken - in England (1,697), Wales (96), Scotland (153) and Northern Ireland

(253). The data from each of the four nations was combined according to their

share of the UK population – giving an ‘effective UK base’3 of 2,006.

2 Courtauld Commitment 2025 food waste prevention baseline 2015; WRAP 2018 3 The effective sample is a measure of the precision of the survey once the effect of weighting is considered,

i.e. although 2,199 interviews were undertaken this is equivalent to an unweighted UK sample of 2,006.


Statistical significance

Statistical tests have been performed to assess whether an apparent difference in the

survey data (i.e. across years or between sub-groups) is statistically significant or not4.

These tests have been undertaken to the ‘99% confidence’ level (i.e. 99 times out of 100

the observed difference will be real compared to 1 time out of 100 it will have

happened by chance). This provides a greater level of surety in the findings than the

more commonly used ‘95% confidence’ level.

Given that a sample of households has completed the survey (rather than a census),

the results are subject to statistical margins of error. For the 2019 results as a whole,

the maximum margin of error in the results is plus or minus 2.2% (i.e. if the survey

gives a result of 50% then the real result, if all households in the country were

interviewed, would be somewhere in the range 47.8% - 52.2%). When comparing

results across time, for example the results in 2019 compared to 2018, the maximum

margin of error is plus or minus 5% (i.e. an increase from 50% in 2018 to 55% in 2019

would be statistically significant, whereas a 2019 result of 54% would not be).

Analysis by different audiences and groups within the population

In addition to the results for the UK as a whole and the constituent UK nations,

analyses have also been undertaken according to a range of socio-demographic

variables (e.g. age, gender, children in the household) and life stage variables (e.g. had

a baby or moved home in the past year).

Structure of the report

The key findings outlined in this report are structured into four sections:

(1) Recall of communications and information about food waste;

(2) Food waste attitudes;

(3) Food behaviours and skills (from pre-shop planning and checking through to

purchase, storage and preparation); and

(4) Estimating levels of food waste.

4 Statistical tests are only valid when the survey method has used random probability sampling. While the market research industry routinely applies the same logic to non-probability samples, this must be done with appropriate caveats. For example, if the data reported throughout this report was generated from a random probability sample then the confidence intervals discussed in the report would apply. However, as the data were generated from a quota sample, confidence intervals are – strictly speaking – not possible to calculate.


1. Communications

1.1 Recall of food waste information

Three quarters (75%) of UK citizens have seen or heard information about food waste

in the past year – either more generally about the amount of food that is thrown

away/wasted (69%) or more specifically about how to plan, buy, store or prepare food to

help reduce the amount that gets thrown away (49%).

Recall of both types of information is significantly higher in 2019 than in previous years

(Figure 1). For example, recall of information about the amount of food thrown

away/wasted has increased from 38% in 2016 to 69% in 2019 (the highest level

recorded by the survey); and recall of specific food waste avoidance strategies has

increased from 38% in 2018 to 49% in 2019.

Figure 1 – Recall of information about food waste

Q. In the past year have you seen or heard anything about the following?

Base: 2,199 UK adults aged 18+ with responsibility for food shopping and/or preparation in the home.

May 2019

There is a strong association between recall of food waste information and WRAP’s

Love Food Hate Waste campaigns. For example, 90% of those who say they have seen

the ‘Chill the fridge out’ campaign, and 89% of those who say they have seen the Love

Food Hate Waste brand logo, say they have seen or heard something about food waste.

With regard to the channels through which citizens have seen or heard information

about food waste, the dominant sources are television and radio – over half (56%) of

those who recall information about food waste in the past year say this is how they

heard of it. However, these sources appear to have declined, relatively speaking, since

2018 when they were cited by almost two in three (64%). By contrast, social media has

increased in prominence – 24% of those who recall information in the past year now

cite it (compared to 16% in 2018). Print media (e.g. newspapers and magazines) also

remains a prominent source of information and was cited by 21% who recall

information about food waste.


1.2 Recall of Love Food Hate Waste logo and materials

Over one in five (22%) recall the Love Food Hate Waste logo, significantly higher than

previous years when recall was in the range 13%-16% from 2014-2018 (Figure 2).

Fewer have seen the specific campaigns5 ‘Make Toast Not Waste’6 (7%), ‘Chill the Fridge

Out’7 (1%) or ‘Compleating’8 (1%).

Figure 2 – Recognition of LFHW campaign assets

Q. Have you seen any of these in the past year?


May 2019

1.3 Food waste conversations

Just over two in five (42%) say they have had a conversation with friends, family or

colleagues about food waste in the past six months (Figure 3). Around one in three

(34%) have seen something about food waste on their social media and – among those

who have – 40% said they went on to share or comment on it.

5 Love Food Hate Waste aims to raise awareness of the need to reduce food waste and help us take action: https://lovefoodhatewaste.com/?_ga=2.201994838.697528228.1570518935-1961497390.1495713026

6 Toast bread straight from the freezer: https://lovefoodhatewaste.com/toast 7 Set your fridge to the right temperature so that your milk and other food items can last longer:

https://www.lovefoodhatewaste.com/article/chill-fridge-out?_ga=2.265961032.697528228.1570518935-1961497390.1495713026

8 Compleating is about eating the whole ingredient or food and letting no edible parts go to waste: https://www.lovefoodhatewaste.com/compleating


Figure 3 – Food waste conversations

Q. Have you done any of the following in the past six months?


May 2019

There is a positive association between talking to others about food waste and recall of

WRAP’s campaigns – with those who recall the Love Food Hate Waste logo and ‘Make

Toast Not Waste’ campaign more likely to say they have talked to others about food

waste.


2. Attitudes to food waste

2.1 Agency and responsibility

There is a high level of recognition among citizens that food waste is an issue and that

they have a responsibility to take action (Figure 4). Over four in five ‘strongly’ or ‘tend

to’ agree that Food waste is an important national issue (82%) and Everyone, including me,

has a responsibility to minimise the food they throw away (87%).

One of WRAP’s key metrics is the proportion who ‘strongly agree’ with both statements

(and therefore have a high degree of ‘buy in’ to the issue and the need for action). In

2019 this represents three in ten (30%), although this has decreased somewhat

compared to 2018 (39%). Several sub-groups within the population are less likely to

have strong buy in – notably those with weaker fridge and freezer management skills,

those with children aged 0-5, 25-34s and men.

Figure 4 – Recognition of the importance of the food waste issue/ responsibility to take

action

Q. To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements about wasting food?


May 2019

The majority think they could and should take action on food waste. For example,

nearly seven in ten (69%) ‘strongly’ or ‘tend to’ agree that Minimising my food waste

deserves to be one of my top priorities, while a similar proportion (67%) agree that I have

been making more of an effort lately to reduce my food waste (Figure 5). Two in three

(66%) agree that it is possible for me to reduce the amount of food that I waste, while over

seven in ten (72%) agree it will make a real difference if I reduce the amount of food that I

waste.


Figure 5 – Recognition of the importance of the food waste issue / responsibility to take

action

Q. To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements about wasting food?


May 2019

2.2 Perceived impacts of food waste

Citizens acknowledge a wide range of impacts of wasting uneaten food (Figure 6). The

most prominent impact is personal in terms of wasting money (which 69% say they

strongly agree is a significant impact). This is followed by a sense of unfairness to those

in the UK who don’t have enough to eat (55%), which is higher than the perceived

unfairness to people in other countries who don’t have enough to eat (43%). Almost half

(48%) see a significant environmental impact in terms of resource use (e.g. water,

energy), although fewer make a strong link between throwing away uneaten food and

climate change (39%).

Figure 6 – The impact of food waste

Q. Below are a number of ways to complete the statement “Wasting food that could have been eaten

is…”. Which of these, if any, do you strongly agree with?

Q30b. And which one do you feel most strongly about?

Base: 2,199 UK adults aged 18+ with responsibility for food shopping and/or preparation in the home. May

2019


3. Food behaviours and skills

This section focuses on the behavioural determinants of food waste, following a simple

pathway from pre-food planning and checking through to purchase, storage and

preparation. It sets out how citizens rate themselves in terms of their skills and

approaches across each of these behavioural tasks and habits. A weakness in one or

more areas (e.g. buying more than is needed) does not guarantee that food waste will

occur; but rather that these citizens may be under more pressure to avoid food being

wasted and need to utilise skills in other areas (e.g. storage) to prevent waste.

3.1 Pre-shop planning

The survey demonstrates that checking the fridge and the cupboards before a shop

are both relatively widespread behaviours - 62% and 58% of citizens, respectively, did

this before their last shop (Figure 7). By contrast, checking which days they were going

to be in/needed to cook meals for is something only a minority do (22%). Overall,

almost two in five (39%) checked the fridge, freezer and cupboards before their last

shop, while around three in ten (29%) checked all of these and made a shopping list.

Figure 7 – Pre-shop checking and planning

Q. Please think about the last time that you did a food shop. Did you do any of the following?


May 2019

In relation to meal planning, close to one in three (32%) say they know what almost all,

or most, of the main meals will be for the week ahead. This has significantly decreased

over a relatively short period of time – the corresponding result was 56% in 2015 and

54% in 2016. A number of groups are more likely than average to plan ahead, most

notably those who have been pregnant/had a baby in the past year (44% know what

almost all/most of the main meals will be for the week ahead), those aged 35-44s

(40%), those with strong fridge (39%) and freezer management (42%) skills and those

with children living at home (37%).


3.2 Food shopping

The survey focuses on six purchase behaviours that could lead to more food waste.

The results demonstrate that a majority of citizens undertake all of the behaviours at

least sometimes (Figure 8). For example, four in five (80%) say they often or sometimes

buy an item with a reduced price because it is near its expiry date; while 77% buy a

bigger/additional pack because it is better value.

Figure 8 – Shopping behaviours

Q. When you do your [main food shop/food shopping], how frequently does the following apply to you?


May 2019

Overall, almost all citizens (85%) undertake three or more of the behaviours at least

sometimes; whereas a smaller cohort of one in five (20%) often undertake three or

more (which puts them most ‘at risk’ of subsequently wasting food). A number of

groups are more likely than average to fall into this cohort of most ‘at risk’ citizens:

• Moments of life change – four moments of life change are highly associated with

often undertaking 3 or more of the behaviours: getting married/moving in with

someone (37%), being pregnant/having a baby (33%), moved home (30%) and a new

job (30%).

• Age – younger cohorts are more likely to say they often undertake 3+ behaviours,

including 18-24s (30%), 25-34s (26%) and 35-44s (25%).

• Children living at home – those with children at home, particularly younger

children, are more likely than average to often undertake 3+ behaviours. This

includes those with children aged 0-5 (31%), 6-11 (32%) and, to a lesser extent, 12-17

(26%).

• Fridge / freezer capacity – those with large fridge and freezer capacity are more

likely to say they often undertake 3+ behaviours (25% of those with large fridge

capacity and 25% of those with large freezer capacity).

Turning to judging/buying the right amount, the tracker focuses on four key products

(bread, chicken, milk and potatoes) and asks citizens to rate themselves on a scale of 0

(weaker) to 10 (stronger). The results (Figure 9) show that judgement varies product by

product – more citizens say they find it difficult to judge the right amount to buy for

potatoes and bread (39% and 32%, respectively give themselves a score of 0-7 out of

10), compared to fewer who score themselves 0-7 for chicken and milk (21% and 20%,


respectively). Taking an average across the four products, close to one in four citizens

(26%) rate themselves 0-7, whereas almost half (48%) score themselves 8-9 and 21% 10

out of 10.

Figure 9 – Judging and buying the right amount

Q. When buying the following types of food, how good or not would you say you are at judging and

buying only the amount you are likely to use?

Base: UK adults aged 18+ with any responsibility for food shopping and/or preparation in the home –

who buy and eat each item (base sizes in brackets). May 2019

A number of sub-group differences are evident, generally following the same pattern

seen for the ‘at-risk’ shopping behaviours presented above. That is, those namely that

this is true of 18-24s and 25-34s; those with children aged 0-5 at home; and those who

have experienced moments of life change in the past year (pregnant/baby, moved

in/married, moved house and new job). There is also an association between

judging/buying the right amount and fridge/freezer management – those who say they

are weaker at one of the behaviours also say they are weaker at the other.

3.3 Storage

The survey explored a number of storage-related attitudes and behaviours:

• Significant numbers of citizens report weakness in managing the fridge and freezer

(Figure 10). For example, two in five (40%) say they are weaker at keeping track of

food in the fridge, and over half (52%) say they are weaker at keeping track of food

in the freezer.


Figure 10 – Fridge and freezer management

Q. How good or not would you say you are at keeping track of food in the fridge (e.g. knowing what

there is to use and when by)?

Q. How good or not would you say you are at keeping track of food in the freezer (e.g. knowing what

there is to use and when by)?

Base: UK adults aged 18+ with any responsibility for food shopping and/or preparation and own a

fridge (2,152) or freezer (2,117). May 2019

• There are some pronounced gaps in storage knowledge. For example, half (50%)

incorrectly believe that apples last for longest if they are stored at room

temperature out of the original packaging (as opposed to in the fridge in the

original packaging); and just over half (52%) say that the optimum fridge

temperature is between 4-7 degrees (the correct temperature is below 5 degrees).

These knowledge gaps are widespread across citizens, with no differences among

particular sub-groups.

There is widespread variation in the extent to which citizens refer to on-pack

storage or serving advice (Figure 11). For example, just over half (55%) say they

‘regularly’ or ‘quite often’ refer to on-pack information about how / how long to

store items once they have been opened, compared to 27% who ‘sometimes’ refer

to this and 18% who ‘rarely/never’ do. Fewer regularly refer to how long items can

be frozen for (37%) or portion guidance (33%).


Figure 11 – Referring to on-pack information about storage and serving

Q. Thinking now about the information on-pack about storage, cooking and serving the product - how

frequently do you personally refer to the following kinds of information?


May 2019


4. Estimating levels of food waste The survey calculates levels of food waste by focusing on four key products9 (bread,

chicken, milk and potatoes) and asking respondents to estimate – for the last time they

purchased each product – the percentage that was thrown away uneaten. The results

(Figure 12) estimate that, on average, almost one in four (22.8%) potatoes are thrown

away uneaten, compared to around one fifth of bread (21.5%), chicken (20.5%) and

milk (18.4%).

Figure 12 – Levels of food waste: by product

Q. Thinking about the last time you bought [food type], approximately what percentage ended up

being uneaten and thrown away (whether in a compost bin, ordinary bin, council food waste

collection, or down the sink)?

Base: UK adults aged 18+ with any responsibility for food shopping and/or preparation in the home –

who buy and eat each item (base sizes in brackets). May 2019

Based on these estimates, around one in three UK citizens (32%) classify as having

higher levels of food waste. This represents no change compared to 2018.

Table 1 sets out the groups who are more likely than average to have higher levels of

food waste (left hand column) and those who are less likely (right hand column). It

represents a range of variables – with age, the presence of children at home, moments

of life changes and particular skills (e.g. fridge management) all highly associated with

levels of food waste.

So, for example, among 25-34s just over half (51%) report higher levels of food waste,

compared to 16% of those aged 65+ report higher levels of food waste. It is important

to be clear that this is not saying that all younger groups citizens have high levels of

food waste while none of those aged 65+ do. There are older citizens (around one in

eight) who report higher levels of food waste, and likewise younger citizens who do not

9 WRAP research estimates that these four products represent the most significant products in terms of household food waste.


(around one in two). The results simply indicate that, on balance, older age groups are

significantly less likely to report high levels of food waste.

Table 1: Groups/audiences within the population who are more or less likely to have

higher levels of food waste (UK average = 32%). NB. The data is presented in descending

order, i.e. those at the top are those who are most or least likely (respectively) to have

higher levels of food waste.

Base: 2,199 UK adults aged 18+ with responsibility for food shopping and/or preparation in the home. May

2019

More likely to have higher levels of food

waste

Less likely to have higher levels of food

waste

• Moved in/married in past year (56% report

higher levels of food waste)

• Left home for university in past year (51%)

• 25-34 (51%)

• Started a new job in past year (49%)

• Children aged 0-5 living at home (47%)


• Weaker at judging/buying right amount

(47%)

• Someone moved out of home in past year

(47%)

• Live alone and aged 18-44 (46%)

• Pregnant/baby in past year (44%)


• 35-44 (40%)

• Agree that ‘it is a financial struggle to buy

enough to eat’ (40%)

• Often does 3+ ‘risk’ in-store behaviours, e.g.

buy extra because something is on special

offer (39%)

• Weaker at managing the fridge (38%)

• Low food confidence (38%)

• No checking/planning before last shop

(38%)

• Weaker at managing the freezer (34%)

• 65+ (16% report higher levels of food waste)

• 55-64 (19%)

• Very strong fridge management, i.e. score

10 out of 10 (21%)

• Strong at judging/buying right amount, i.e.

score 8-10 out of 10 (23%)

• Disagree that ‘it is a financial struggle to buy

enough food’ (25%)

• No children living at home (28%)

www.wrap.org.uk

http://www.wrap.org.uk/

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