food waste uk 2023
Food waste in the United Kingdom is a subject of environmental, and socioeconomic concern that has received widespread media coverage and been met with varying responses from government. Since 1915, food waste has been identified as a considerable problem and has been the subject of ongoing media attention, intensifying with the launch of the "Love Food, Hate Waste" campaign in 2007. Food waste has been discussed in newspaper articles, news reports and television programmes, which have increased awareness of it as a public issue. To tackle waste issues, encompassing food waste, the government-funded "Waste & Resources Action Programme" (WRAP) was created in 2000. A significant proportion of food waste is produced by the domestic household, which in 2007 created 6,700,000 tonnes of food waste. Potatoes, bread slices and apples are the most wasted foods by quantity, while salads are thrown away in the greatest proportion. A majority of food waste food is avoidable,[d] with the rest being divided almost equally into foods which are unavoidable (e.g.