UK families waste £270 a year on discarded food
When my grandparents were in their prime poor people were thin. Now they are fat. This article explains why:
UK families are wasting £270 a year (£5.20 a week) on discarded food and drink, according to a survey of their kitchen habits. Most families massively underestimate the amount of food they throw away each week, according to new research.
Despite the economic downturn they admit to buying more than they need, often tempted by supermarkets’ “Buy One Get One Free” and similar offers.
The survey of 2,116 adults, carried out by frozen food giant Birds Eye, found that the average household spends £68 a week on food but that 91% of households with children admit to throwing some of that away. Vegetables topped the list of the most commonly wasted food group, followed by bread and fruit, and 40% of those polled admitted they felt guilty for wasting food.
The main reason cited for wasting food was buying too much (37%), with 22% doing so because of supermarket offers and mutibuy deals.
I know it seems perverse in the current climate but it is time people paid more for food and more of what they paid went to those who produce it not sell it! Not only would it lead to a healthier nation it might also sustain those in rural England whose land management skills preserve our rural idyll.