Insight: Sainsbury’s uncovers the UK’s ‘patchwork’ eating trend
New findings from Sainsbury’s have revealed that fussy eaters, varying tastes and clashing schedules means that UK families are preparing multiple meals every day.
The supermarket said a new ‘patchwork’ approach is developing for family meals after research from its Waste Less, Save More initiative found that on average parents make two different dishes for one meal time every day to accommodate the varying needs of family members. Furthermore, a fifth make as many as three.
With the initiative developed to help shoppers reduce household food waste., the study also found that the trend is driving the amount of food that is being wasted in UK households. One in nine families admitted to always having leftover ingredients while 27% said the leftover ingredients, bought to suit varying needs, often get thrown away.
Paul Crewe, head of sustainability, engineering, energy and environment at Sainsbury’s, said: “We understand the challenge that Britons face when it comes to juggling the differing eating habits of one household. Over a third of households waste food because of the varying needs of the family, which is why we want to help ‘patchwork’ families avoid binning food.
“Planning meal times is key here. Meal planning by ingredient and using last night’s dinner for tomorrow’s lunch are simple things that can help patchwork families cut food waste and save money.”
