Food Waste Action Week 2022 tackles freezer throwaways
Following the launch of Food Waste Action Week 2022, Love Food Hate Waste has released the results of its annual survey on household food waste behaviour. Findings point to issues in the public’s relationship with the freezer, with 35 per cent reporting that theirs is ‘sometimes a total disaster’.
The survey’s results helped to inform the theme of this year's Food Waste Action Week, with the campaign focusing on ‘UFOs’ – unidentified frozen objects. Items such as these, according to Love Food Hate Waste, are at risk of waste, with 19 per cent of people reporting that they have thrown something away in the past two weeks because it has laid dormant in the freezer for too long.
As many as 69 per cent of people, the survey reveals, believe it’s safe to defrost meat at ‘room temperature’, which is the exact opposite of Food Standards Agency guidance and may put them at risk of illness.
Love Food Hate Waste is aiming to center the processes of freezing and defrosting in this year’s campaign, noting that preserving three key meat items – fresh chicken, bacon, and sausages – in this way could save up to 15,000 tonnes per annum. The campaign has also partnered with TV presenter Gregg Wallace to amplify this message.
Sarah Clayton, Love Food Hate Waste, said: “Getting to grips with freezing and defrosting are big factors in preventing food from going to waste at home. At a time of rising food prices alongside huge public concern about climate change, tackling food waste at home is one way we can all make a difference and save money.
“For the average family with children, the cost of binning food can be more than £700 per year. So, Food Waste Action Week is all about avoiding those UFOs and being savvy in how we store but then use our food.”
Campaign partner Gregg Wallace added: “No one hates seeing good food go to waste more than I do, and often it’s simple changes in how we store food that make the biggest difference.
“That’s why I’m delighted to support this year’s Food Waste Action Week and Love Food Hate Waste. The fact is, we are all responsible for the vast majority of food waste that happens in the UK – 70 per cent – so we really need to be part of the solution for the sake of the planet.
“With food prices going up and other pressures on disposable income, the savings you’ll make to the family budget by wasting less food are significant.”
International action
This year, the campaign is working with partners around the world to create an international week of action. Partners will be supporting the campaign from 12 countries including Canada, USA, Australia, South Africa, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Mauritius, Indonesia, Jordan, The Netherlands and New Zealand.
Resources and Waste Minister Jo Churchill said: “Throwing good food away is a terrible waste of resources, water and energy. The amount of food we waste each year weighs the equivalent of over a million Asian elephants. Almost 70% comes from our own homes and the impact on the environment is immense.
“Food Waste Action Week is hugely important in bringing together the entire food supply chain, from farm to fork, to take action on this critical issue. There is a lot we can do as consumers, and I would encourage everyone to think about simple and creative ways to help us reach our ambitious target to halve food waste by 2030.”
