A third of food grown for human consumption in the UK ends up in the rubbish bin, according to a survey.
Food industry and government statistics show that each adult wastes £420 of food a year.
Lord Haskins, the government's food and farming adviser, described the figures as outrageous and said: "We are very greedy when we go and shop. Our eyes are bigger than stomachs in homes and in restaurants."
How much food do you throw away? Do you pay attention to the sell-by date? How can waste be reduced? Send us your comments and experiences.
The following comments reflect the balance of opinion we have received so far:
I have long suspected that the food industry and supermarkets use the sell-by date to up sales by making people suspect food is not 'safe'. Also the 'consume within x days of opening' is also contributory - but what should you do? Without clear guidance how does the average consumer know what is safe?
Keith Edwards, Shrewsbury, UK
I find that a great deal of food goes bad because it's already old by the time it gets to the shops. A loaf of bread might have a use-by date less than three days from purchase, and will be inedible a day after that. The same goes for meat, milk and vegetables.
Ben, Newcastle Upon Tyne
Restaurants should provide smaller portions and charge less for them - then we wouldn't eat too much or throw as much away
Sharon, Darlington
I think more importance has to be placed on the "use-by" rather than the "sell-by" date. We throw very little away, as we place importance on the "use-by" date - extending this to food we freeze. If the use-by is a week after sell-by, then you still have a week when you defrost. If more importance was placed on when food had to be eaten, then waste would be cut down.
Bob Pickett, Ilford, UK
I don't think I have ever finished a meal without leaving at least 20% of it. It's a massive waste but I think it's down to a psychological eating disorder. I pay attention to sell-by dates and get paranoid when eating meat, especially after the surge of recent TV programs regarding mishandling of meat products, even by massive supermarkets who should know better. Restaurants should offer a service of smaller portions and charge less for the 'petit' meals.
Rakesh, West Midlands
We throw away very little food because we don't overbuy. We don't buy processed food, we are not obsessed with sell-by dates and we are very imaginative about using up leftovers in dishes which take only minutes to prepare.
Sarah, Bedford, UK
When we first got married two years ago, we were buying a lot of food per week and ended up throwing an awful amount away. Now, we don't shop at the superstores anymore and just buy from local grocers as and when we need to. This means we save a lot of money, we don't throw anything away anymore, and products are used before the sell by date, however we're not averse to using something if it is a day or two after the date. In a supermarket, you see people with overfull large trolleys and wonder where they put it all. It isn't necessary to buy so much just for one week. I think people need to take a step back and relax when it comes to shopping; they can save a lot of money with a bit of planning and reduce waste by buying only what they really need!
Leila Jerman, Manchester, UK
I throw away very little now. In recent years I've started to enjoy cooking, so even bones and carcasses can be used. But I suspect whilst snacks and meals can be found at any time of day, reducing waste and the amount of food the population throws away will prove difficult. Regarding sell-by dates - it could be that people are unfamiliar with food and ingredients, which must affect their general feel for a food's condition with the result being people's reliance on sell-by dates.
Lisa, Edinburgh
"We're obsessed with sell-by dates, so that we throw away perfectly good food which happens to be out of code." Not in this house, we're not. Lamb chops improve with keeping, not to mention brie and camembert which only become edible after the expiry date. Chicken pieces tend to be cooked a bit longer when past use-by. Eggs can be tested by putting them in a glass of water. If they sink with no bias - poach. If it sinks but one end stays higher, boil or scramble. Only if it floats is it discarded for the benefit of the foxes. With a supermarket 200 yards away which reduces its prices for short-dated food, we do rather well by shopping little and often. Which doesn't mean no waste, but does keep the bill down to start with. Always having to get a car-load at a time would be inefficient. The big niggle is having a waste-bin usually full of un-recyclable food packaging. The local market is a better for this. Moral - keep it local.
Peter T, Godalming
As a society we increasingly live alone and so a loaf that a family would polish off may be going bad before one person on their own eats it all.
Jen, Manchester, UK
I look at use-by dates but I don't bin things just because they have passed it. If it looks and smells OK I eat it! (and no, I haven't had an upset stomach in a long time)
Emily Whitehead, Oxford, UK
I hate to see food wasted. We store anything that can be reused in the fridge immediately. Anything else disappears into the stomachs of two very eager four-legged dustbins, otherwise known as dogs! Seriously though, there is no need to waste any food, if nothing else put it on the bird table before the dustbin!
Christine, Kent
I apply the "look and sniff" test. If food has been handled and stored properly, even when it is past its sell-by date, there should be no reason to throw it out unnecessarily. After all, most of our predecessors survived, even without fridges.
Brigitte, Bristol
I'm disgusted by these statistics, what a load of wasteful greedy people we are. I try to eat all the food I purchase, but one must be a little bit careful - I've been hospitalised after eating a mouldy veggie burger that was left in a tent for a week in summer. What I learnt from that is that if there's more than an inch of mould, it's best to bin it.
Hugh, London, UK
The only food that is thrown away in our house is the vegetable peelings. These are taken to the end of the garden and composted - the compost is then used to grow more vegetables. Leftovers from meals (which are rare) are put in the fridge and eaten for lunch the following day.
Rebecca, Lancaster
Sell-by dates no doubt help retailers rotate stocks properly and prevent consumers eating dangerously old produce. But I can't help thinking it has all gone too far. Not so long ago, you would buy a pot of jam, store it in the larder at room temperature and keep it until it was all used up. Now every jar seems to carry the label 'refrigerate after opening and consume within six weeks'. Is this really necessary?
John, Rye, UK
Having recently moved to the North Somerset area, the local council has introduced food recycling boxes. Two boxes are provided, one small for everyday use and a larger lockable box which is collected every week. I grew up in a time when every house had compost or such like. If you could see how much I throw away, it does make you stop and think a little more. This is a great idea and should be implemented around the country. Well done Mendip! Having Greek family connections, they have a pertinent saying "Whatever you leave on your plate, this is your strength you throw away"
Jules, Somerset, UK
The packaging on all foods should be reduced. Everything is double wrapped to avoid damage in transit and to allow easy storage on shelves. However if you go to your local butcher or baker they simply use a single bag to hold the produce. Our children are the worst for sell-by dates but we live in a brainwashed disposable society these days which is hard to change overnight. Perhaps legislation or fines on supermarkets should be imposed in an attempt to reduce the amount of overall packaging on food. Introducing charging for refuse collection from domestic customers is another option as in the commercial sector but this would target the end user and not deal with the source of the problem. It needs cooperation throughout the food chain to work. Perhaps a government initiative like the anti smoking or drink driving may help.
Ian Redfern, Rotherham
I agree 100% with this report. Sell-by dates should be used as a guide, food does not just go off on the sell-by date. We existed for thousands of years without sell-by dates. People used their eyes and noses to tell whether food was edible and personally I still do. We are extremely wasteful in this country, we treat food like a bottomless pit, yet, as we do this, half the world starves to death. What ever happened to common sense?
Nigel Fletcher, UK
Clearly, some householders are driving up this (disturbing) average figure. I was brought up to clear plates and never waste a morsel; I was genuinely put out when the end of a cucumber went off in my fridge a few months back! Or if it's the catering industry, I'd suggest restaurants be obliged to parcel all leftovers for Shelter and other such charities.
Stu Maddison, Ealing
I used to follow use-by/sell-by dates strictly but have come to the conclusion that they are about supermarkets wanting us spend more by imposing unrealistically short time periods on the fresh food they sell, leading to good food being thrown away and extra visits to the shops. Either that or it's their fear of a lawsuit from a consumer who eats in-date food but becomes ill. I have taken recycling to heart in all aspects of my life including food, and it's amazing what you can do with leftover food - just add imagination! My current favourite is that old classic, bubble and squeak - using all the leftovers from a roast meal, frying it up in a frying pan and cracking an egg onto the top to cook slowly all the way through. A great meal that takes no preparation time, is pretty healthy and cuts down on waste. Perfect.
Jason Skelton, Dedham
Our obsession with 'sell by dates' is extreme. Manufacturers are scared silly we will sue them if our lamb chop has 'gone off', and so they play it ultra safe. My Grandma used to say "we all eat a lot of muck before we die". If only we could go back to those days when life was a bit of a lottery, but so much more fun!
Mike, London
I do two or three small, targeted shops whereas my parents do one weekly one. Their fridge is so full they can't see what's in it and they don't plan meals preferring to rely on choosing something. And at the end of the week they throw away what has gone off but I seldom have to throw anything away.
Rachel, Lewes, UK
We throw away very little. Growing up in a rural farming background makes you appreciate more. It also means you make the most of everything - a roast chicken makes several meals and the carcass gets cooked down for delicious soup. Apart from that we have a Springer spaniel who eats any leftovers before they reach the bin!
Fiona, Gloucestershire
When we lived in the UK and did big supermarket shops we found we were throwing a huge amount of food away. Some of this was due to badly miscalculating our requirements (how can you really plan for cooking a week or two away?), some due to poor shelf-life - such as potatoes bought on Saturday gone green by Tuesday. A switch to using local farm shops and shopping small, cured this problem, and here in France we use the weekly markets, spend a fraction of what we used to spend in the UK, and throw almost nothing away.
Andrew Rose, France
It's only in the last couple of weeks that my girlfriend has managed to convinced me that use-by dates often aren't worth the package their printed on! Unless food looks or smells rotten the use-by date can often be safely ignored. Is this another example of supermarkets trying to scare us into more visits to their stores than we really need?
Colin Morris, Manchester
We generally prepare the right amount of food and our family were brought up to eat what was put in front of them - that reduces waste. We grow a lot of our own fruit and veg, so we can eat fresh food as we need it. I pay little attention to sell-by dates - I realise that producers err on the side of caution when devising these dates. Seeing the amounts of food left over at parties, restaurants etc makes me very cross. As a family, we see all our food as a gift from God and we thank him each time we have a meal. As a nation, we do not recognise that He exists, let alone thank him for the way He provides us with "our daily bread".
Andrew Stone, Wiltshire
Generally it is very unusual for my family to throw food away. However, as with all statistics, I would take it with a pinch of salt. I think it is a bit rich for a government advisor to criticise the public for being "risk adverse" when it's the government and EU that are making us like that.
Rob, UK
Although we do buy a lot of food and my two little monsters don't always eat their food, none goes to waste. My 7-year-old border collie will quiet happily eat most things.
Mark Wood, Brighouse
Call me stingy if you will, but if I've paid for it, I eat it! We only discard what cannot possibly be re-used for health reasons. However, if supermarkets insist on encouraging people to buy more by making bulk-packing substantially more attractive, more food will be "going off" in people's larders and fridges due to miscalculated attempts to economise.
Tony Fisk, Over Wallop
I do throw stuff away because as a single person you can't always buy in small enough amounts and you don't want to eat the same thing too many times in a row! I hate wasting food as I appreciate both the cost to myself and the awful thought that others are starving, but I can't help being caught up in this society of waste. As for sell-by dates - nearly all food is obviously either ok to eat or 'going off'. I use the dates as a guide, but always check whether in date or not. Your taste buds / nose are very sensitive machines that easily know the difference if you can be bothered.
LBW, Reading
My boyfriend constantly throws out food because it is out of date, which I think is plain ridiculous. I always make a point of feeding him out of date toast, eggs, bacon etc (quietly) and he not only doesn't complain about the taste, he prefers my cooking to his own! He took some out of date apples to some horses in a field and nearly choked one! We need to learn to look at food, touch it, smell it and not just read it.
Rebecca Robinson, Glasgow, Scotland
This is a throw away age. A lot of people now do not even know how to cook & just buy it ready done, and the leftovers go in the dustbin. Not much goes to waste in our house, but then my wife cooks. As a child I remember the stock pot, a base for many cheap but very nourishing & tasty soups and stews, but these days they even build flats without proper kitchens.
Reilly, Southampton
It horrifies me when I go to stay with friends in the UK when I see how much food is thrown away. Living in a country where food isn't taken for granted and many people can only just afford to buy the very basics has made me so conscious of using up every scrap. I never throw away even a tablespoon of peas! I have a continuous soup pot going which means that I never use packet soup or stock cubes and have a constant supply of natural, delicious stock whenever I need it. It is just as quick to throw leftovers in a saucepan as it is to throw them in the bin.
Judy Youssef, Cairo, Egypt
I do throw away a lot of food, although I have pets who do eat some of the leftovers. Everyone needs to be re-educated in the art of keeping and cooking leftovers, because of fears I never eat food that is even one day out of date, and am reluctant to keep opened food in the fridge for fear of it going off, and harming my family. It may sound daft, but I would appreciate classes or advice on cooking normal food that my children will eat.
Sharon, Midlothian
The most significant problem with food wastage is our desire for good looking food. We need to change our attitudes and allow our taste buds dictate what we buy. Throwing away half eaten meals is actually a very good thing. For too long we have lived with the sounds of our parents warnings to clear our plates, people are starving and would eat that etc.. All it has done has caused nationwide obesity. We need to get back to the point of food. It has to taste good and feed us.
Graeme, Scotland
As a single adult, food wastage is never an issue for me. I buy enough only for myself, and I'm responsible enough for the food that I buy. Since I am the one paying for everything that I eat, I ensure none of it goes to waste. Sell-by dates are only a guideline for food consumption; however I don't "stockpile" food for weeks on end. I purchase only what I need for the next few days. Today's world means there is always a local supermarket open whenever you need it, should you require something. So why stockpile food for weeks or months at a time?
Christopher Powick, London
I try to use up leftovers as much as possible. I put some in the compost bin, any meat my mums dogs have. I have been more careful with food wastage and rubbish recently, I have been trying to grow some of my own veggies. I have been using local farmers markets more; the veggies are not perfect but just as good. To reduce waste will be hard as people are used to waste and cannot be bothered to recycle or make up food with leftovers like was done in our parents' times. Supermarkets should offer smaller packs of their items: not every one wants huge amounts of stuff.
Av, Oxford
It would help if food were also packaged in realistic single portions as well as family-sized packages. Those who only cook for themselves tend to find that they have to buy more than they are able to eat alone due to the way that supermarkets and producers package their products. The only alternative for these people is to buy ready-meals all the time.
Liz, Gloucestershire
We used throw out at least a third of our weekly shop so we decided to try food shopping every second week instead as we live close to a supermarket. I know this is not an option for everyone, but it does mean that we buy food on an 'as required' basis, have virtually no wastage and don't have to worry about sell-by dates.
Sarah, Glasgow, Scotland
I have never paid attention to sell-by dates except where poultry is concerned. If it smells bad it's binned. I always do something with leftovers and can't abide seeing good food go to waste. It does help that I have 2 cats willing to eat almost anything that's going. Too often, these days I see people buying products, using them once then leaving them sitting in the fridge for weeks and then chucking them. Why can't they plan a couple of pasta meals in the same week or even make extra and take the leftovers to work? People are just too lazy.
Sally Kay, London, UK
I think it is a shocking statistic about the amount of food wasted in the UK. I would be very interested to know what the statistics are from the hospitality industry. I would be willing to bet, having worked in many restaurants, that the majority of waste comes from hospitality businesses. Perhaps they should be offered incentives not to waste food and have some sort of system to avoid unnecessary waste if possible. Large catering companies are the worst culprits and have terrible recycling practices too!
Scott Fraser, Edinburgh, Scotland
I am very conscious of the amount of food that I do throw away and quite often feel guilty about it. A lot of this is because the quantity in packets is often too much and it is difficult to use it all when only cooking for two. Sell-by dates are often very cautious too and I find that things kept wrapped in Clingfilm, in the fridge are still good at least a week afterwards.
Toby Simons, London
I never throw any food away. I only cook what I can eat, but on the rare occasions I can't finish a meal, I either save it for the following day, or feed it to my dogs. I certainly can't afford to waste money like that, and I know several others in the same boat. As for sell by dates, I think they're a big con. If food looks and smells fresh then eat it! After all, cooking it will kill off any bacteria!
K Brown, Bristol
I try not to throw away food and to buy only what I need. However, I am single and it is often difficult to buy the food I like in the smaller quantities I require unless I am prepared to pay over the odds for it; for example small loaves of bread are often just as expensive as large ones. I generally ignore use-by dates on food like milk and bread. A big problem I have found is that food is sold with only a very short period of time until its use-by date, leaving very little time to eat it all.
Karen Adams, Willingdon
I throw away nothing. I plan what I want to eat, I buy enough for the week and I eat it. I compost what I don't use in cooking (leaves, peelings). I also cook my own meals so don't use packaged meals - that helps cut down on packaging waste. And finally, I eat to stay in shape so I don't buy or eat too much. The answer is: buy less and eat less. It's not that hard!
Nigel Gaen, Cardiff, Wales
If we learned to grow food ourselves, where practically possible; or if we effectively taught kids where and how food is grown then I'm sure we'd all value it more. "Jamie's School Dinners" has shown that direct education works with kids. Try asking a kid to eat an apple which you've just sprayed with pesticide!
Joe Higham, Saffron Walden
Having been raised in Africa, I try not to throw food out at all, and use up fresh foods as soon as possible. Also I was disturbed by last week's "The Apprentice" on BBC2 - I was horrified to see one of the teams throwing away a huge amount of venison soup that they had been unable to sell at a farmer's market. Was anyone else disturbed by this? What about all the homeless/hungry out there? Take the unsold soup to a soup kitchen!
Kate, Bath, UK
Buy fresh and smaller portions.
Maggie, Cardiff, Wales
I love buying food from the 'stale but edible' counter in Tesco, it saves me a fortune and I haven't had food poisoning in 10years!
Steve Burris, Birmingham
Having had periods of extreme poverty when my children were small, I throw away very little previously cooked food. Any vegetable matter which is left over goes to feed the worms in my wormery. However, I am a light eater and am often put off by the amount of food on my plate when I eat out. It seems that quantity equals quality in some eyes.
Jo, Hereford
I definitely think this is due to people not having the cooking skills which would allow them to cook at home rather than eat out, and to use up leftovers such as stale bread and soft fruit. I also think it's because there are so many people cooking for just themselves: it is very difficult to cook efficiently when there is just one person eating. I try not to waste things but because I often cook for myself, I don't use fresh produce in time, or make too much of something which can't be re-heated.
Ella, Oxford, UK
We used to throw away a lot of food, but now we plan our meals each week, and only buy the food that we require. This has drastically reduced the amount of food we discard.
Gareth, Birmingham, UK
As a postgraduate student I throw away almost zero food, instead I freeze many things such as meat, chicken, vegetables and even bread. I always freeze leftovers such as pasta sauce, soup and rice. I could not live without my freezer and feel it is a much underused tool in the British home, my motto is: don't bin it! Freeze it!
Kevin Cook, Edinburgh, UK
Lord Haskins is effectively encourages us to eat out of date foods, which is irresponsible at best and dangerous at worst.
Cristen, London, England
I buy my shopping once a week and most of the items of food that I end up throwing away are fruit and vegetables that spoil within a day or two of purchase, often before their sell by dates. I now shop in two different supermarkets each week so that I have a better chance of getting the quality and variety that I want. From experience I know not to buy certain items from particular supermarkets as the quality is not as good as other places.
Rai, London
One problem is the way food is packaged. I love carrots but we don't get through them very fast and they go off fairly quickly. I have found that it's cheaper to buy a 5 lb bag of 'value' (class II) carrots and throw away half of them, rather than buy the 2 lb of carrots I actually expect to use - because loose vegetables or smaller bags are class I and much more expensive. I can't afford to reduce my wastage!
Ruth, Bucks
I try to buy only what I need, but do end up having to work away from home or going for dinner. I do follow use-by dates so some of my food does go off. As I buy a lot of fresh foods, I tend to compost a lot. If I do have something that needs to be used up quickly I would invite friends around for dinner or cook and freeze it for another time.
Tania Ramesar, Halifax
Most of the larger supermarkets have a reduced area for their near to date products. I use this area to "sample" items that would be extremely expensive if bought at their full price. It has also become a hobby to try and cater a meal for as cheaply as possible from this area. However a number of my friends and family were horrified when they realised I was doing this, they are so obsessed with sell-by dates and the fear of poisoning their families that they don't even think about using leftovers. Media hype has given people a lack of trust in their own instinct about good and bad food. As a society we can not continue with this waste, the environment can not support it.
Rosie, Belfast, Northern Ireland
The real problem is that many people no longer actually cook real meals. The convenience culture has taken over from older habits of home cooking and thrift. Take-aways, eating out and microwave ready meals are more wasteful, as there's a tendency to buy too much in one go, and throw out what can't be eaten immediately. In our home we are fans of home cooking and slow food. Not only does it taste good, but the leftovers are great the next day. And it costs a lot less than convenience food. To my mind this is best way to avoid wasting so much food. All it takes is a little time and enthusiasm.
Chris, Edinburgh, Scotland
I throw almost nothing away - and have never done otherwise. I think that it is despicable to throw out food when so many people around us are desperate for a proper meal. I have followed the BBC's cookery programmes with great interest over the years and have been thinking that a series of programmes about how to use leftovers would be a great idea.
Claire Butler, Brussels, Belgium
Aye tek ma neeps and tatties and I chook them oonder the gannet for furuter use aeee 'under ta dishhhhstacker.
Buhmphace McBohkies, Bonnie Scotland
People are far too obsessed with sell-by dates. Food didn't used to have sell-by dates; what's wrong with people that they can't look at something or give it a sniff and see if it's off? A bit of common sense wouldn't go amiss. And as for leftovers - put them in a plastic tub and take them to work next day for lunch. Yum yum.
Kate, Cambridge
The first item I always end up throwing out are Clementine oranges, as at least one or two already have white mould before they have even left the store. Other vegetables such as lettuce also seem to have "brown rot" before they have even left the shelves. And recently, red, orange and yellow peppers seem to have been reduced in size and have become blotchy. Due to my long commute, I can only do my food shopping during the weekends, so things start to exceed their sell-by-date close to the end of the week. I try to preserve foods by keeping them in the fridge, but that usually ends up with items becoming "lost" for weeks and having to be thrown out. Otherwise, items such as vegetables go off within a day or two, and have to be thrown out without being consumed.
Mike, Edinburgh
I also think some of the supermarkets don't help the issue as they tend to put out stock that needs to be sold or cleared within a few days. Many times we have done our shopping, and when I go to the fridge three or four days later some food items are already out of date. The general public also needs some advice as to what can be frozen, how long can it be frozen, and how long after thawing can it be kept.
Andrew Watts, Cardiff
I never throw away food. I only buy what I know I will eat. Leftovers are either frozen, eaten for lunch the next day or given to my dog. You can tell if food has gone bad by the colour and the smell - sell-by dates are only to cover the retailers. Waste can be reduced by educating people better. I am appalled by some of my friends and the waste they produce. I don't understand why people throw money away because they can't be bothered, which is all this basically comes down to.
Anna, Guildford
On the day I found myself chucking away an out of date packet of smoked salmon and most of the contents of my vegetable draw in my fridge I resolved to try and do better! We are on a tight budget and I was disgusted by how much food we were wasting, and I had images of actual money going into the bin rather than the food. Since then we have brought a new fridge (which seems to keep things fresher for longer) and I plan my meals weekly to ensure that leftovers become my lunch at work and we make good use of the food that we buy. It has helped enormously and now we throw away about 2% of what we buy. Getting a juicer has also helped to clear out our fruit and vegetable leftovers rather than leaving them to decompose gracefully in the fruit bowl!
Becka, Shipley
(BBC)
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