Industry Recommendations Unveiled To Reduce Household Food Waste

19 August 2010

The research, published by WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme), suggests that the retail supply chain could implement a number of measures to help consumers keep the food they buy at its best, in both the fridge and freezer, to prevent food waste. 

Key recommendations include communicating the importance of good temperature control in-store, selling fridge thermometers, increasing the use of the ‘snowflake’ logo and moving away from ‘freeze on the day of purchase’ labelling where appropriate. 

The research, which looked at ways consumers buy and store chilled and frozen foods, suggests there is still considerable confusion which leads to significant food waste.  For example, although most people know what their fridge temperature should be, they don’t have the means to check and adjust this. 

Similarly, although journey times from store to home have increased, only a minority of consumers are using cool bags for transporting chilled and frozen food. 

Richard Swannell, Director of Retail at WRAP, said it would really help consumers if the industry got behind the recommendations as a means of reducing food waste. 

“Reducing food waste will save us all money - £480 per year for a typical household - and that is particularly important in these cash-strapped times.  This research shows that there are some really quite quick and simple initiatives the food industry can take to help us do this.

“Consumers want to be confident about how best to store food and what can be frozen, when and for how long.  Industry can play a key role in making this happen, saving us all money and tackling the 5.3 million tonnes of food thrown away each year that could have been eaten.

“The food industry has already undertaken a number of initiatives to address food waste which occurs because consumers are unsure of the best ways to store food with M&S, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose and Birds Eye leading the way.

“Much more can still be done, which is why I’d encourage all retailers and manufacturers to talk to us about how they can implement these changes that can really make a difference,” he added.   

He also said that WRAP would continue to work closely with the FSA (Food Standards Agency) and the white goods industry to ensure the safety of food is protected during the drive to reduce the amount of unnecessary food waste. 

Kaarin Goodburn Secretary General of the Chilled Food Association, who has advised WRAP in this area, said:  "We are looking forward to working with stakeholders to progress this issue since chilled foods rely on storage at refrigeration temperatures throughout their entire life.

“The FSA recommends that fridge temperatures are between 0ºC and 5ºC.  We believe that fridge temperature dials should clearly indicate which setting is the coldest and we recommend using a well-designed fridge thermometer to check the fridge is not too warm."

Paul Cook of the FSA said:  “Food safety is of course a priority but in addition we all have to make sure that we minimise the amount of waste that is generated every year.  It is important that Government and industry work together on this issue and begin implementing changes that will help consumers to reduce food waste without compromising food safety.”
 
Barbara Gallani, Director of Food Safety and Science at the Food and Drink Federation, said: “FDF members fully recognise their role in reducing food waste, not just in within the food chain, but also within households and are supportive of WRAP and its research in this area. We will be working with WRAP and other stakeholders to address the recommendations this research makes to our industry, specifically in relation to exploring alternatives to ‘freeze on day of purchase’ labelling, and the best way to communicate to consumers that certain foods can be frozen up to the use by/best before date without compromising food safety or food quality.”

Key recommendations for food and white goods retailers and manufacturers to support consumers:

• Increase the use of the ‘snowflake’ logo on fresh and refrigerated food indicating that the food can be frozen
• Move away from ‘freeze on day of purchase’ labelling where appropriate
• Increase the availability and visibility of fridge thermometers, cool bags, freezer labels and pens and storage containers in-store
• Include tips and guidance on importance of good temperature control to help keep food at its best