Food wastage

A recent study by WRAP (Waste and Resources Action programme) has revealed that a ridiculous £700 of food waste occurs in Britain by each family each year.  In essence, this is apparently equal to throwing away 6 meals every week.  The fact that food wastage issues are occurring to this level within the UK are extremely alarming, considering the widespread food poverty, not just worldwide, but across the UK too.
The study revealed the top 10 most wasted items to include; bread, potatoes, milk, ready-meals, fizzy drinks, fruit juice, poultry, pork products, cakes and chips.  Of these products, there are a few that are staple food items that are clearly being utilised in a carefree manner.  Quite astonishingly, the average years waste would fill Wembley stadium five times over....How can this be allowed to continue??  If it continues in the current vein then the situation will only deteriorate.
The key reasons for food wastage lie in failure to use the item or simply due to overcooking.  It is therefore evident that education is vital.  If more people are educated to understand that food can be used after a 'best-before' date, providing they are not high-risk foods, then there will be a massive reduction in unnecessary wastage.  If people were also educated about portioning and about correct storage of foods, so that food will be cooked in correct amounts, and any leftovers reused then this will go some way to minimising the £12.5billion food costs that are associated with the UK (£60 per household).
Experts say the UK is improving its waste record, with 'avoidable' household waste down 21% in the last 8 years.  but WRAP believes that waste could be cut by another 40% (1.7m tonnes) over the next 12 years.  Considering the complaints and murmuring from members of the public about the cost of food, it seems ludicrous that they are willing to waste millions of pounds, so surely this target of reducing waste can be feasible, providing that people are educated appropriately.
It doesn't help that there is a conflict of interest with 'who's doing the better job'.  Supermarkets believe that it is them that are helping the waste targets be met. Albeit they are doing a good job to limit food wastage, there needs to be more of a collective effort on all food fronts to reduce wastage.
Though, saying this, food wastage can occur throughout the chain from farmer through supermarket and to consumer, so there needs to be stricter control of wastage throughout the chain for further reductions and positive effects to be forthcoming.
Its a question of taking simple but effective steps in each household first and foremost, that all we can do, and hope that larger companies and the producers follow suit.  Little things will make a difference: who would have thought of freezing milk, well this is a recommended step to reduce wastage, as with bread also.  In addition fruit will last longer in the fridge than a bowl, and even banana which is the exception to this, can be chopped and frozen.  For overcooking of foods, store remaining portions in the fridge, or why not cook double and freeze some for future use, to save throwing leftovers.  It is vital to wrap foods and remember that best-before dates are a guide for quality of the product and not a must-eat deadline.
Think of how much good this could do in the world, considering there are billions of hungry people nationwide and worldwide.  Maybe well see a reduction in the 24million slices of bread thrown away, the 1.4million bananas and the 1.1million eggs, but what is important is that we start to make a change
AT HOME, and starting from NOW.