BRC welcomes research findings on food waste
The British Retail Consortium has welcomed research by waste reduction body WRAP which found that, while just under half of shoppers (44%) thought buying food on offer led to more being thrown away, only one in 25 (4%) actually wasted food bought as part of a promotion.
The survey also revealed that the most common type of promotion was a straight price reduction with “Buy one get one free” (BOGOF) accounting for less than 2% of all products bought.
The BRC is arguing that the debate about food waste should focus on helping households to reduce the amount they throw away rather than blaming retail practices. Recent figures published by WRAP show a 13% decrease in household food waste over the past three years.
British Retail Consortium head of environment, Bob Gordon, said: “This research is extremely helpful. It clearly shows that, while people assume other shoppers are wasting food they buy on promotion, over 90% are not wasting it themselves. Households throw away 30% of the food they buy. This new evidence demonstrates BOGOFs are not to blame.
“The amount of food waste produced by households has been coming down – with the help of retailers – but there’s more to do. Our critics should join us in addressing the real reasons for food waste. We need to educate people to shop smarter and do better at managing the storage and use of food in their homes rather than blaming promotions.
“Price competition between the supermarkets is keeping costs down for hard-pressed consumers at a time when fuel and utility bills are sky-high. There are loads of promotions on the shelves because they’re highly valued by customers. Let’s stop wasting time talking about promotions causing food waste when it’s clearly not the issue.”
