Welcome to the WRAP Food Trends & KPI Survey, a bi-annual exploration of UK households' attitudes, knowledge, and behaviours related to food waste. As the longest-running survey of its kind, it offers a unique lens into the ever-evolving landscape of food waste in the UK.
The Tracker survey, ongoing since 2007, adapts to contextual shifts, with notable adjustments in response to significant events such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the UK's cost-of-living crisis.
Highlights from 2020 and 2022
- The pandemic led to a 43% decrease in reported food waste, rebounding to 17.9% in June 2020 and stabilising through September.
- In 2022, focus shifted to the cost-of-living crisis, revealing a discrepancy between citizens' reported behaviours and the crisis's impact on food waste.
Survey focus - June 2023
- Primary emphasis on key performance metrics, cost-of-living crisis effects on citizens, and monitoring how rising costs influence attitudes and behaviours related to food waste.
- Broader context exploration, including recall of communications and messaging on food waste.
Fieldwork details
- Conducted online from June 23-29 2023.
- 4,314 interviews with UK adults responsible for food shopping/preparation.
- Quotas set for age, gender, and region.
Key findings - Self-reported food waste
- Following the historic low recording during the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, the level of estimated food waste returned to similar pre pandemic levels in June 2022. Estimated food waste for four key products (milk, potatoes, chicken, bread) increased to 21.5% in June 2023, compared to 20.5% in November 2022.
Contextual factors - Cost of Living
- 74% of citizens are coping or doing well with the cost of living, while 24% struggle.
- Food waste is on the rise for both groups, with a larger increase among those not struggling.
Attitudes around food waste
- Citizens feel less empowered to act on food waste, despite recognising it as a national issue.
Food storage knowledge and date labels
- Knowledge of optimal fridge temperature has decreased to 43%.
- Misunderstanding of date labels persists, with 25% misinterpreting Best Before dates and 46% misidentifying Use By dates.
- Disposal decisions for fresh produce increasingly rely on judgment.
Skills for change - buying the right amount
- While food waste rises, citizens show improvement in judging/buying the right quantity.
- Improvements in buying right amounts of food increased fastest among those struggling with the cost of living.
Recognition of information and Love Food Hate Waste
- A drop in citizens' recall of food waste information, with 46% recalling details about waste amounts and 31% recalling waste reduction practices.
- Recognition of the Love Food Hate Waste logo remains high at 32%.
For an in-depth exploration, download the full report below.
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DownloadFood Tracker - Key KPIs - June 2023.pdf
PDF, 1.85 MB