Household food waste in England at “unacceptable” level. “It is a disaster”
7.3m tonnes of food was wasted in UK households in 2015, according to the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee, an “unacceptable” level.
The committee said shops should relax standards that prevent the sale of “wonky vegetables” to help reduce waste and the next government should consider whether “best before” dates were needed.
“One-third of food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted globally, and in the UK over £10bn worth of food is thrown away by households every year. Economically, food waste costs households hundreds of pounds a year and causes increased disposal costs to local authorities, pushing up council tax bills.” said Committee chairman Neil Parish, cited by BBC.
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“Socially, it is a scandal that people are going hungry and using food banks when so much produce is being wasted. And environmentally, it is a disaster, because energy and resources are wasted in production only for the food to end up rotting in landfills where it produces methane – a potent climate-changing gas.” he added.
According to the report, the average person in the UK loses £200 per year beacause of food waste, the report said, while the average household loses £470 a year because of avoidable food waste. Those with children lose £700, it said.
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