£12.5 billion cost of food waste WRAP report shows

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The average UK household throws away the equivalent of six meals every week, costing the UK £12.5 billion per year.

According to a new study by WRAP Household Food and Drink Waste in the UK in 2012, this costs each family almost £60 a month.

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Despite cutting food waste since 2007 by 21 per cent, 4.2 million tonnes of food that could be eaten is thrown away every year.

WRAP believes that it could be possible to reduce avoidable household waste by another 1.7 million tonnes a year by 2025.

Bread, potatoes and milk are the most thrown away items with 24 million slice of bread waste daily, along with 5.8 million potatoes and 5.9 million glasses of milk.

WRAP chief executive Liz Goodwin said: “Consumers are seriously worried about the cost of food and how it has increased over recent years. Yet as WRAP’s research shows, we are still wasting millions of tonnes and billions of pounds.

“The UK is leading the way in tackling food waste and the 21 per cent cut is a terrific achievement by millions of people who have taken action, saved money and helped safeguard our natural resources. However, there is so much more to go for and I believe we should be going for it.

“Research by WRAP shows that if we all make a major combined effort to act now, we can save up to £45 billion by 2025. It won’t be easy but what a prize if we achieve it. I commit that food waste will remain a top priority for WRAP and we will be pleased to work with those who share my aspiration.”