During the summer trial, 90% of participants used all the food they bought each week, 88% changed the way they stored it, and 68% made more use of the freezer. As a result, between the second and sixth week, the average household was wasting 76% less food – saving the equivalent of 1.46kg of waste over the four-week period.

Aoife Allen, head of food at Hubbub, said: “Many families reported that their little ones are now leading the charge on waste at home! And when we asked one month on whether they were keeping up their habits, 94% said that they were wasting less food than before the pilot, with eating leftovers the top habit they’d taken forward.” 

During the first wave of lockdowns, consumers in the UK and the US were making concerted efforts to reduce their food waste as a way to both save money and avoid trips to the supermarket (read Resetting the Food System and The Budget Food Opportunity for more). Initiatives like this are tapping into this renewed appreciation for eating at home in a bid to give this attitude shift longevity. 

For Tesco’s previous food-waste-reduction efforts, read Tesco Teaches Communities to Cook with Waste and Tesco Ramps Up Anti-Waste Stance.