Wrap has unveiled new advice to help the grocery industry reduce the amount of food and drink discarded before it is opened.

In a report issued today, Wrap said two million tonnes of household food – worth £2.4bn to consumers - was thrown away because it is not “used in time”, with half of this discarded whole or in unopened packaging.

Around two thirds of the food was thrown out as consumers believed it had gone off, with the remainder discarded after passing a date label.

Wrap said “significant progress” has been made around clarifying date labels and storage guidance but added more needed to be done.

Three of the main recommendations in the report, Household Food & Drink Waste: A Product Focus, are:

  • Ensure packaging design and storage guidance help consumers keep food fresher for longer
  • Maximise the length of shelf life and use a ‘best before’ date on perishable foods where possible
  • Accelerate the roll out and increase public awareness of the ‘freeze before date mark’ label, which replaces ‘freeze on day of purchase’

There was also an opportunity to tackle a large volume of waste by finding new ways of helping people buy and use the amounts of food they need. Packaging innovation and product development had a key role to play, said Wrap, and the report sets out recommendations including the introduction of a range of pack sizes and offering smaller multipacks.

This report is published today to coincide with the launch of the Love Food Hate Waste 10 Cities campaign, which encourages people in major urban centres to think about what they waste and how they can reduce this and save money. The campaign will work with local authorities and retailers including Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, The Co-operative, Central England Co-operative and M&S.

“A significant amount of work has already been undertaken by the sector to introduce innovative approaches to keep food fresher for longer but more needs to be done,” said Wrap head of food sustainability David Moon. “These valuable insights will enable the food industry to target their interventions in the areas that will deliver the greatest reduction in food waste and save consumers money.”

Resources management minister Dan Rogerson added that everyone had a role to play in reducing food waste. “We are determined to support food retailers, industry and consumers in their efforts,” he said.

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