UK Citizens learning to love food and hate waste during lockdown

Article published by WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Programme) this morning.

UK citizens are managing their food better in lockdown, including more pre-shop planning, better in-home food management and using creative approaches to cooking.

These new behaviours are leading to a reported 34% reduction in waste of potatoes, bread, chicken, and milk.

WRAP calls on businesses, local authorities and others to help citizens make this the 'new normal'.

UK citizens have risen to the challenge of lockdown by making the food they buy last longer and go further, according to the latest survey into food habits, behaviours and attitudes from WRAP.

With supermarkets operating strict social distancing rules, restaurants closed and many of us at home all day, our food shopping habits have shifted significantly; we are shopping less frequently and buying more items. But, the survey reveals, householders have become more resourceful in managing their food, from using up their cupboard stocks, meal planning and list-making to freezing more and batch-cooking.

These ‘food smart’ behaviours should lead to less food ending up as waste. Of four of the key food items people waste most – potatoes, bread, milk and chicken, this latest survey shows that respondents are reporting a 34% drop in how much they throw away. This reported reduction is especially welcome since people are also buying more of these items than before. 24% reported that they have bought more milk in lockdown; 23% said the same for bread.

Read the full article here: https://wrap.org.uk/content/citizens-learning-love-food-and-hate-waste-during-lockdown