Part of the UK sustainability initiative is to reduce food waste, and the Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP) has been set up to drive this forward. Funded by the UK government, it is already very active, holding meetings with key supply chain providers and consumer groups, organising surveys, and developing publicity and advertising campaigns.
    Objectives for the next three years are to save up to UK£1,100 million with increased recycling - 8 million tonnes of household waste and 5 million tonnes of CO2 emissions.
    Figures for food waste for the UK are startling. Almost a third of all food purchased for home consumption, with a retail value of UK£10 billion, is wasted, totalling 6.7 million tonnes every year. Initiatives so far have reduced this level by 137,000 tonnes.
    A survey of households has shown that bakery products are the second highest category of wasted food, only behind fresh fruit, vegetables and salad. A staggering 780,000 tonnes per annum are wasted – in the UK we throw away the equivalent of 1,000,000 loaves of bread every day of the year!
    Why is this? Another survey shows that most people throw out bread because it is out of date. The UK system is to label all products with a “Use By” date if perishable, and a “Best Before” date if it is only the quality that suffers over storage. It appears that the problem is that most consumers confuse these phrases, and believe that bread that has passed its Best Before date is no longer safe to eat. Further probing showed that most people do not trust their own judgement on whether a particular product is safe or not, so play safe and throw it out. This results in nearly a quarter of all bakery product packs being thrown out whilst still within the Best Before period.
    Another indicator is that 9% of purchasers store their bread in the fridge after purchase, and this increases slightly after the pack has been opened.
    Last September WRAP organised an industry-based event to agree how industry can help consumers reduce food waste at home. They came up with three main ideas, which were:

•   Achieve clarity and consistency on food storage dates
•   Develop and provide more effective storage guidance
•   Investigate shelf-life extension through increased use of packaging and food technology.

A current ‘hot topic’ for industry discussion is the weight of a packaged loaf of bread. Historically, this has been 800g or 400g in the UK but European harmonisation means that British bakers will in future be able to sell any weight they choose. Perhaps the purchase of a smaller loaf will lead to lower levels of wastage.
    This is a complex area and many approaches may help to reduce food wastage. There is still a long way to go. As always, feel free to email me at t.sharp@campden.co.uk.