Watch your waste says Co-operative chef Jill Weatherburn

Nov 11 2009 By Hazel Ettienne

According to the Waste And Resources Action Programme (WRAP), UK households throw away 6.7 million tonnes of food every year, but 70% of which could have been eaten.

This works out at a cost of £617 per household and creates the same amount of CO2 as one fifth of cars on UK roads.

Debbie Robinson, director of food marketing at the Co-operative Group, said: “Household food waste is a growing problem and, as the UK’s largest convenience store retailer, we are determined to do all we can to help our customers tackle this issue as well as helping them to spend wisely in these difficult times.”

The group has become the first retailer in the UK to include storage instructions for fruit and vegetables on its fresh produce bags to help tackle the growing problem of household food waste.

The Co-operative is also supporting the Love Food Hate Waste campaign by switching the emphasis of its promotional offers – particularly on perishable food such as fruit and veg – from buy-one-get-one-free to half-price offers.

Richard Swannell, director of retail for WRAP, said: “We welcome this initiative from the Co-operative which makes it easier for their customers to know how to best store fresh fruit and vegetables.

“For example, apples kept in the fridge can keep for an extra two weeks.

“This is the latest example of how the Co-operative is supporting the Love Food Hate Waste campaign, helping customers to save money by throwing away less food.’’