Bread is Ireland’s most wasted food and 41% of people admit to throwing it away

A SIGNIFICANT PORTION of the Irish public throws away food on a daily basis, as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) revealed that we dispose of 250,000 tonnes of food waste each year.

A survey conducted by the EPA showed how food waste is a major concern for Irish families, but that many people were able to cut down on food waste during lockdown.

The survey found:

• 41% of people admit to having thrown the bread
• The main reasons for waste are foods that pass their expiration date and forget to eat leftovers on time
• After the bread; Vegetables, fruits, and salads are the most frequently thrown away foods in the home.
• During the Covid-19 shutdown, 29% of people reported wasting less food.

Mary Frances Rochford, program director for the Office of Environmental Sustainability, said Irish households produce more than 250,000 tonnes of food waste a year, at a cost of € 700 per household.

Furthermore, food waste contributes significantly to climate change, as it generates between 8 and 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

“Reducing food waste reduces our greenhouse gas emissions and also reduces bills for homeowners and businesses. Ambitious targets have been set in the new National Waste Policy for reducing food waste, with the goal of halving food waste by 2030; meeting these goals will require a strong response at every step of the food chain, ”he said.

The survey findings also found that during the Covid-19 lockdown, people engaged in behaviors that reduce food waste, with a 12% increase in people making a single weekly purchase and a 10% increase in people who they plan meals.

The survey reported that 29% of people threw away less food compared to before the blackout period, so there is a real opportunity to take advantage of the positive behaviors that emerged to continue reducing food waste.

EPA’s Odile Le Bolloch added: “Preventing food waste at home is about changing our behavior and developing good habits. Buying only what we need; By planning meals and using leftovers, and storing food correctly, we will immediately reduce waste and save money. It also makes a huge environmental difference because reducing food waste is climate action you can do three times a day. “

• 9 out of 10 agree that consumers have a role to play in preventing food waste.
• 3 out of 4 people make a list before buying food, a simple but effective way to avoid unnecessary purchases.
• Use-by dates (68%) and use-by dates (55%) are the main reasons why people who dispose of food are out of date.
• When looking at what is thrown away, a large number of people said that bread (41%), vegetables (39%), fruit (39%) and salad (32%) are the foods they throw away most frequently.
• And 62% of people forget to eat leftovers on time.