Resources

As part of WRAP’s work upscaling farm food waste measurement in the UK, we delivered nine projects with supply chain businesses and developed corresponding case studies for each to address on-farm food surplus and waste. 

Globally, food waste on farms is estimated to be around 1.2 billion tonnes, resulting in greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to 2.2 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide (WWF, 2021). Tackling the issue of food surplus and waste on farms can bring significant business benefits. Research suggests that reducing food surplus and waste to the minimum reported rates can increase profits by up to 20% for farm enterprises (WRAP, 2021). 

The effects of climate change are becoming ever more visible and damaging, and the security of our food supply is being tested to its limits. 

Taking action through Courtauld 2030 is more important than ever.

In this report, we gather evidence on the food waste attitudes, knowledge and behaviour of UK households through a series of citizen surveys carried out during 2022. The publication is part of the largest and longest running series of its kind, having been undertaken by WRAP since 2007.  

The latest results cover a period when the UK began to settle into a ‘new normal’ after all Covid-19 restrictions ended in February 2022, followed immediately by an evolving cost-of-living crisis. It was another year of adjustment in the daily routines of many UK citizens, including working patterns, feelings of time pressure and eating habits, which all appear to influence food waste.
 

On this page you'll find introductory information about the UK Food Waste Reduction Roadmap.

A ground-breaking, industry wide roadmap and toolkit that:

• Allows businesses to measure and report consistently and with confidence.
• Helps food businesses take targeted action to reduce waste in their own operations, their supply chain and from consumers.
• Helps the food sector deliver against Courtauld Commitment 2030 targets.
• Helps the UK deliver its part in delivering the UN's Sustainable Development Goal 12.3.

• Target: Emphasising that best practice is to set a target that ‘meets or exceeds’ SDG target 12.3.
• Measure: Clarifying that ‘measure’ means ‘measure and report to WRAP.’
• Act: There are now separate milestones for each of the three action areas of operational food waste, collaborative action and citizen food waste so that progress can be tracked, and relevant action taken to accelerate progress further if required.

New research highlighting opportunities for the Hospitality and Food Service sector to reduce the amount of food left on customers plates, but still offer value for money for diners.

The research, conducted in July 2022, provides new insights into customer behaviours and attitudes to food waste when dining out.

Transforming the food system is critical in the fight against climate change. We need to act now.

Tracking the UK's progress towards achieving the Courtauld 2030 food waste target and UN Sustainable Development Goal 12.3.

The objective of the project was to take a complex product such as a ready meal and conduct a detailed review of the current process flow and identify waste hotspots and opportunities for reduction.

This research summary report shows the joint research undertaken regarding food loss and waste across four key markets - UK, US, Canada and Australia. The study found that nearly half of respondents throw away as much food or more than they did this time last year revealing an opportunity for consumers to save more by reducing waste in their homes.

During the current Cost of Living challenges, WRAP’s Guardians of Grub campaign shows Hospitality and Food Service sector operators how to reduce costs and their impact on the planet by reducing wasted food. This webinar highlights the free resources that businesses can use to tackle food waste, including information posters, how-to guides, and a free calculator to record the changes being made.