A poll of 2,000 adults found the average person wastes the equivalent of £387 a year on produce that bypasses plates and goes straight in the rubbish. With 36% admitting to purchasing food well aware they will end up throwing some of it away and not even come close to using it.
Nearly a quarter (23%) say it’s because they misjudge portion sizes, 18% forget to look at the expiry date before buying, and 24% blame last minute plans. It also emerged a fifth (20%) will never think of putting food in the freezer to stop it from going to waste, with bread, salad leaves, and bananas among the most binned produce.
The study was commissioned by Aldi, which has partnered with food waste expert, Kate Hall, to encourage shoppers to freeze more at home – helping to not only reduce food waste but also save money by making groceries go further.
Luke Emery, national sustainability director at Aldi UK, said: “We’re committed to reducing food waste wherever we can across our supply chain, whether that be working with suppliers to cut down on waste, or marking down prices of items nearing their sell by date.
“Now we’re on a mission to help shoppers minimise their food waste too, while getting even more value from their groceries at the same time. It seems simple, but the research shows that freezing items still isn’t something many do – so we want to showcase just how easy that can be.”
The OnePoll.com data also revealed the foods people would never consider freezing – with eggs, cucumber, and lettuce featuring in the top 10.
As many as two thirds said they don’t freeze products such as these because they don’t think they’re suitable for it – despite this not being the case if prepared, frozen and reused in the right way.
It also emerged 36% don’t think they would like the texture after defrosting, while 25% are concerned about frozen food losing its flavour.
However, 75% admitted they feel guilty about throwing food away, with 31% saying they would be more likely to consider freezing food if they were more familiar with the rules around it.
Meanwhile, 20% have previously given food to someone else to use ahead of its expiration date, while 18% have even fed it to their pet to refrain from putting it in the bin.
Aldi has teamed up with Kate Hall to create three recipes to inspire shoppers with simple ways to stop food from going to waste and save money in the process, as well as sharing top freezing tips for beginners.
Kate said: “It’s no surprise most of us feel guilty about throwing food away, but you might not expect to find the solution is already in your kitchen.
“Using your freezer is such a simple way to press pause on your food so it doesn’t end up in the bin. Freezing food can help our budgets stretch further, and you can actually freeze a lot more than people realise. The trick is knowing the best way to freeze food and what to do with it after freezing.”