WRAP says Scotland waste £1 billion in food every year

A new study published by WRAP Scotland entitled The Food We Waste in Scotland has revealed that £1 billion worth of food is wasted by Scottish households every year.Figures from the report show that 570,000 tonnes of food and rink is thrown out annually which gives an average monetary loss of £430 (US $718) to each household and £550 (US $918) to family-sized households.The report reveals that the most common items to be thrown away are milk, sliced bread, carbonated drinks, potatoes and ready meals or snacks. It also shows that 96,000 tonnes of fresh fruit and vegetables are disposed of.Commenting on this ground-breaking report, Environment Secretary Richard Lochhead says, 'I'm sure most people would agree that it's shocking to think that society needlessly wastes £1 billion of food each year in Scotland. As well as the financial strain on households, the equivalent of £8 to £10 a week, food and packaging add considerably to our waste stream.'Food waste is one of many issues currently being addressed in the Government's draft Zero Waste Plan, which I would urge people to have their say on. The Plan is about everyone making smarter day-to-day choices that will take us further down the road towards becoming a zero waste society.'Dr Nicki Souter, Waste Aware Scotland Campaign Manager, says, 'This report being so detailed truly shows the public how much food is currently wasted in Scotland. The reasons we waste are food are that we cook or prepare too much or we buy things and then don't use them in time.'Food Waste Key Facts:* Scottish households throw out 570,000 tonnes of food waste a year. * Of this, more than two-thirds (69%) is avoidable - it could have been eaten if it was planned, stored, prepared or managed better. * This avoidable share costs Scottish households £1 billion a year at 2008 prices. That works out as £430 per household, or £550 for an average family with children. * The most commonly wasted food groups (in terms of avoidable waste) are: Drinks (70,000 tonnes, worth £140m) ; Fresh vegetables (62,000 tonnes, worth £100m) ; Bakery (46,000 tonnes, worth £90m) ; Fresh fruit (34,000 tonnes, worth £70m) ; and Meat and fish (20,000 tonnes, worth £130m). * Avoidable food waste is generated because we have bought food and allowed it to go mouldy or go past its 'use-by' date, and because of over generous portioning, both from cooking at home and buying food from takeaways. * More than half of all avoidable food waste is thrown out untouched - i. e. as whole units - and one in seven items is still in its packaging. * At least £18 million worth of food thrown out in its packaging is still in-date. * Around three-fifths of all food waste (340,000 tonnes) is disposed of via council collections, either in mixed waste or recycling collections. The rest is put down the sink, fed to pets or composted at home. * Collecting and disposing of waste food costs councils an estimated £85 million a year. * In terms of environmental impact - producing, storing and getting the food to our homes uses a lot of energy. The carbon impact of food waste is enormous. If this waste was stopped it would save associated greenhouse gas emissions equal to taking one in four cars off the road.The ReportThe full report can be downloaded from WRAP Scotland's website at:The full WRAP report