Help others, help the planet
Tackle food waste
Your Challenge
We are all feeling the pinch during the current economic crisis, especially when it comes to food. Yet 30-40% of food produced globally is wasted.
The biggest contributor to food waste in the UK is household waste. It accounts for 52% of all food wasted.[2] Alongside this waste, seven million adults in the UK are currently living in food poverty.[1]
If you have unopened food that you won’t get around to eating before it expires, search for a local food bank if the food is dry or has a long shelf life, so that it can go to someone who will use it.
You can also download food sharing apps that take surplus food and offer it to people for free. You can use these apps to find free food and to offer your surplus food to others. This prevents food from being wasted and reduces the environmental impact of our waste
You can try to avoid food waste entirely by planning meals so you know exactly what to buy, freezing food you won’t use in time, and checking your fridge before you shop to avoid doubling up.
Why you're doing this
In the UK, we produce around 10.7 million tonnes of food waste each year,[2] and 60% of this (6.4 million tonnes) is household food waste. Wasting food contributes to the waste of resources and increasing greenhouse gas emissions. It is also a social injustice as many people cannot afford food and go hungry. Giving food away not only avoids waste, it also gives people access to free food. By removing the cost barrier, it means you can play a small part in reducing the number of people in food poverty.
How you'll make a difference
Of the food we waste in the UK, WRAP estimates 70%[2] could have been eaten – that’s equivalent to more than 15 billion meals! This wasted food is associated with more than 18 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions and had a value of over £22 billion.[3] Globally, food waste contributes 8-10% of global greenhouse gas emissions.[4]
We can all do our bit to bring those numbers down.
Track your progress
in the My Footprint App
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