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Food waste on the decline amidst rising cost-of-living in the UK, new national study finds

October 13, 2022

A new survey commissioned by the world’s largest food saving app, Too Good To Go, has found that British consumers are caring more about food waste than ever before, as a result of rising food prices.

The study, which sought to examine the impact of inflation on Irish people’s attitudes to food waste, found that 75% of Brits say that increasing food prices are a problem for their budget. In fact, the survey identified food prices to be the second largest increase in Brits’ outgoings, coming only behind energy bills.

Millennials seem to be the generation feeling the impact of rising food prices the most, with 79% of 25-44 year olds revealing they are worried about it.

The new survey also revealed that an impressive 88% of British people say they care about food waste, while half of respondents said they are throwing away less food than last year in an effort to combat rising food costs.

Despite the quantity of food waste seeming to have decreased per household since last year, when it comes to the monetary cost, the results still show that Brits, on average, are throwing away nearly £333 worth of food a year (with Londoners wasting more than anywhere else at £425 a year, and people in Plymouth the least, at £274 a year on average).

The reasons given for throwing away food were mainly due to food being out of date or appearing mouldy, however 12% of those surveyed admitted to throwing food away simply because they did not want it anymore.

In light of these findings, Too Good To Go is on a mission to make it easy for consumers to access quality food for a more affordable price.

The free-to-download app works by connecting businesses with surplus food, to consumers who can save this food from going to waste for a reduced price. All users have to do is download the free app, search for nearby businesses with unsold food, reserve it in advance before collecting at the allotted time.

Sophie Trueman, Managing Director at Too Good To Go, UK & Ireland comments, 

“These survey results show it has never been more important to combat food waste, with many of us experiencing steep rises in food costs and looking for new ways to cope. At Too Good To Go, we’re all about reducing food waste and in doing so, enabling people to access quality food in a more affordable way, and in a way that does right by our planet. We’re so proud to see how our Ireland has embraced our mission to fight food waste over this past year, and I can't wait to see the continued impact we can have together in the weeks, months and years ahead.”

For more information on Too Good To Go, head to www.toogoodtogo.co.uk

ENDS

For press enquiries, please contact mallan@toogoodtogo.co.uk