Britons Throw Out Thousands of Tonnes of Beef Per Year

UK - People in the UK throw away 34,000 tonnes of beef every year, which is equivalent to 300 million beef burgers, according to figures released by Love Food Hate Waste.
calendar icon 25 February 2016
clock icon 2 minute read

The national campaign has joined forces with BBC Countryfile presenter and farmer Adam Henson to launch the Meaty Issues campaign, calling on Britain to make the most of their meat.

Love Food Hate Waste research shows much of the waste, worth £260 million annually, could be avoided through taking small steps at home, like planning meals in advance, storing food better, understanding date labels, serving the right portions and cooking with leftovers.

Adam Henson and Love Food Hate Waste's Richard Swanell talk beef waste

Beef is really popular in our kitchens, as shown in a new poll of over 2000 UK adults commissioned by the campaign.

Spaghetti Bolognese was named the country’s favourite beef dish, as one in five Brits (20 per cent) picked it as their most frequent beef dish to eat at home. This was followed by the traditional beef roast dinner (18 per cent) and a steak dinner (12 per cent).

However, not everyone got around to using it up - one in six (17 per cent) of those who bought beef said it had gone to waste as they left it to go past the use by date. Almost one in ten (9 per cent) admitted they’d thrown it out after leaving it uncovered or in an open packet.

Only three out of ten people who buy beef plan meals in advance before shopping for it (30 per cent) and just 19 per cent make sure to check how much they have in the fridge before going to buy more.

Richard Swannell, Love Food Hate Waste, said: “Our research has shown that despite our love of beef in the UK, we still throw away hundreds of millions of pounds worth every year, with an equivalent weight to 300 million burgers, (alternatively this is the weight of 150 million steaks†).

“That’s why we’ve launched our Meaty Issues campaign, to encourage people to get the best out of their beef and other meats, saving them money and helping the environment.”
BBC Countryfile’s Adam Henson has also backed the campaign.

Adam Henson said: “As a farmer by trade, I’m passionate about the issue of wasted meat and how to minimise it - I’m fully behind Love Food Hate Waste’s campaign to highlight the issue. Beef is one of our favourite meats in the UK, and we really should be doing everything we can make the most of it once we’ve put it in our shopping trolleys.”

Further Reading

For more ideas on reducing waste, visit the Love Food Hate Waste website here.

TheCattleSite News Desk

© 2000 - 2024 - Global Ag Media. All Rights Reserved | No part of this site may be reproduced without permission.