The banana is the nation’s favourite throwaway food – and young single men have been identified as the biggest culprits for food wastage – according to a new survey.Fruit, salad and veg are the most wasted items with the banana skidding into top place – closely followed by fresh milk.
And single men, aged between 25 and 35, living in cities, waste food worth an average of £17.43 a month.
People living in cities generally wasted the most food.
The poll, by Britain’s leading business intelligence company, Retail Active, says the South East of England has the highest food waste tally, second is the North West and the area with the least wastage is Scotland.
It says a family of four throws away an average of £15.70 worth of food every month.
People aged over 57 are the least wasteful, throwing away an average of just £3.36 per month.
Retail Active’s managing director, Julian Chamberlain said: “The amount of food we waste is a serious issue. Our survey helps to pinpoint who are the worst offenders, the most considerate and the most wasted items. The poor old banana came top.
“Fresh meat and uneaten prepared food are also high on the wastage list. Tinned food is the least wasted.
“We used our vast database to conduct a poll of a representative sample of 2000 people and it gives us some fascinating insights.
“Nearly three quarters of the responders said they believed their food waste had little or no consequence for the environment.
“Forty per cent actually think food waste is good for the economy – because it keeps production moving.
“Seventy seven per cent said they do not consider the impact on the global environment when buying food.”
The main reasons for food waste were identified as poor planning, busy lifestyles, bad habits, laziness and too large portion sizes for both ready to eat and prepared food.
Only six per cent of the purchasers polled checked sell-by dates – but of those that did, the vast majority, 92 per cent, chose food from the rear of the shelf to get maximum food freshness.
