Reducing household food waste through changes to the retail environment.

Food retailers and brands can help their customers throw away less food by adopting good practice in the retail environment: to help people buy the right amount for their needs, keep what is bought at its best, and to use more of what they buy.

  • This report reviews progress in implementing the published best practice since the previous report in 2019.
  • It presents findings from a detailed survey of a selection of products that are often wasted in our homes, available in UK retail outlets in the period August 2021 to March 2022, across all the major grocery retailers.  
  • A range of own-brand and branded food products was assessed to understand changes in the retail environment since the previous surveys and how these could influence household food waste.

Main findings

The report highlights where excellent progress has been made, particularly with adoption of guidance on:

  • Date labels – Milk found on the market with a 'Best Before' date for the first time.
  • Open Life - Open life removed from some hard cheeses.
  • Storage advice - Increase in storage location advice and advice to store below 5ºC.

The report also discusses the areas where more work is still to be done and what the suggested next steps are to continue helping consumers reduce food waste.

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  • WRAP Retail Survey 2021-22

    PDF, 1.67 MB

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Tags

Initiatives

Food and drink Reducing and preventing food waste Courtauld Commitment Food date labelling Household food waste UN SDG 12.3 Consumer behaviour

Sectors

Retailers and brands