19.4m food items thrown away a week, says Too Good To Go  

Research carried out by the app also highlighted that 19.4 million food items are being thrown away a week with those surveyed throwing away more food on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. 

According to the research, a quarter (25%) throw away food past its best before date without checking it’s edible, and a third of surveyed (29%) admit to throwing food away solely due to the best before date.  

The research shows that those aged 16-24 are the biggest contributors to usable food waste, discarding an average of three items per week. In contrast, individuals over 55 only throw away one item per week on average. One factor in this trend is the confusion over date labels, with 55% of adults over 55 keeping food past its ‘best before’ date compared to only 28% of 16–24-year-olds.  

Additionally, older generations demonstrated greater knowledge on proper food storage, with 70% feeling confident in this area compared to 48% of 16 – 24-year-olds.  

It also highlights that those living with friends are more prone to discarding usable food items, tossing away three items per week on average, while those who live alone discard only one item per week on average. 

Emissions 

Jamie Crummie, co-founder of Too Good To Go, said: “We are on a mission to fight food waste, and believe that by adapting your habits you make the most out of everything you buy. 

“One of the reasons households are a main contributor to food waste is because many of us don’t know the difference between ‘Best Before’, ‘Sell By’, ‘Display Until’ and ‘Use By’. This is causing a whopping 10% of Europe’s food waste - 9,000,000 tonnes across Europe each year. 

 “At Too Good To Go, we are encouraging households to sense-check food instead of blindly binning it due to a lapsed date with our ‘Look, Smell, Taste, Don’t Waste’ advice. It is a simple way for households to reduce food waste, save money and cut down their emissions.” 

To find out more about changes in the sector, visit the National Letsrecycle.com Conference on 6 June at QEII Centre in London. To book tickets to attend or for more information please click here.