Bread is one of the most wasted foods, survey reveals

Bread is the second-most wasted food by British consumers, a new study has found.

A survey of 4,000 UK adults conducted for appliances supplier AEG has highlighted common misconceptions that result in food being wasted.

Almost half of Brits (48%) admit they waste too much food but only one in ten say they make a conscious effort to avoid food waste entirely. Salad leaves top the list of thrown away food items, followed by bread, potatoes, bananas and milk.

Action taken by bakers to reduce consumer food waste includes development of longer life bread such as the Kynd Dough brand that maintains the freshness and eating quality of its loaves and rolls through a combination of recipe, production process and packaging.

AEG flagged up that a key issue with food waste is that one in six adults can’t explain the difference between sell‑by, use‑by and best‑before dates, and that education would help prevent people from throwing away as much food as they do. According to the survey, 23% of Brits will avoid eating an item of food if it has passed the best‑before date.

“Best-before dates are indicative of how long the product will retain its peak quality and freshness, but foods are generally still edible after this date,” said AEG, adding that consumers should consider look, smell and taste to judge whether a food is still good to eat.

“Use-by dates are based on food safety rather than quality, meaning you should not eat, cook or put the items in the freezer past this date,” said AEG.

More than half of Brits (52%) say the main reason they waste food is that food “goes off too quickly”, but AEG pointed out this may not be the case and that food is perceived to have gone off due to its appearance, often caused by incorrect storage or misunderstanding visual signs.

“Wilted salad or slightly softer vegetables don’t mean the food has gone bad - in many cases they can be rehydrated or cooked and will taste just as good,” added the supplier.

AEG also pointed out simple habits that can be adopted to reduce waste, such as storing bread in the freezer, placing a paper towel in a bag of salad leaves to absorb excess moisture, or keeping vegetables in the fridge drawer.