A research published by a British organization called WRAP, which works towards reducing waste and increasing recycling, has come up with tragic information about consumption in the UK. The study of 2,138 households found that people are needlessly throwing away 3.6m tonnes of food each year in England and Wales.
WRAP found that salad, fruit and bread were most commonly wasted and 60% of all dumped food was untouched. The estimation is that such waste amounts to a staggering yearly £10.2bn (around $20bn). Even more astounding is that meat and fish also made up 18% of the total money wasted on food. WRAP said 5,500 whole chickens were thrown away each day in the UK. It’s a disgraceful disrespect for the animals slaughtered in the name of food production.
This lack of reverence for food is yet another indicator of the West’s throwaway mentality. The production of all this food entails a huge burden on the environment, only to end up in the trash can. I hope the research will make people think and reconsider their shopping habits and the value of what they buy. This is an essential step in the construction of a sustainable society.
