Wasting food feeds climate change: Mid and East Antrim Borough Council unites with Food Waste Action Week to break the cycle

Mid and East Antrim Borough Council is supporting Food Waste Action Week with an online social media campaign.

Food Waste Action Week aims to raise people’s awareness of the huge impact of household food waste on climate change and share practical advice, food savvy behaviours and tips on how we can all easily reduce the food we waste in our homes.

We throw away 6.6 million tonnes of household food waste a year in the UK. This food waste is responsible for nearly 25 million tonnes of CO₂ emissions, equivalent to 5.4% of the UK’s territorial emissions. The majority, 4.5 million tonnes is food that could have been eaten and is worth approximately £14 billion (or £60 a month an average family with two children). It requires an area almost the size of Wales to produce all the food and drink currently wasted in the UK.

Council will be releasing a social media communications campaign this week which will include top tips on all food-related issues. We still encourage you all to meal plan, store food correctly and then recycle any food waste you may have left over.

Mayor of Mid and East Antrim, Councillor William McCaughey at Mid and East Antrim Borough Council said: “We’re supporting Food Waste Action Week for the second year running as we know the importance when planning, shopping, storing, using and recycling food. At a time when our residents are feeling a pinch on the purse strings, we know now more than ever the value of being mindful when it comes to our food management. This campaign will help to raise awareness on how we can encourage our residents to plan meals better and how to extend the lifespan of their food products through clever preparation and storage.”

Love Food Hate Waste runs an annual survey of people’s habits and knowledge around food waste. This highlighted that 81% of UK citizens are concerned about climate change, but only 32% see a clear link with food waste. The survey helped to inform the theme of the Week and the development of materials to motivate people to act. This year, Love Food Hate Waste found that the public’s relationship with its freezers has become particularly frosty with many people not knowing how to safely freeze and defrost their food.

Sarah Clayton, Love Food Hate Waste, “Getting to grips with freezing and defrosting are big factors in preventing food from going to waste at home. At a time of rising food prices alongside huge public concern about climate change, tackling food waste at home is one way we can all make a difference and save money. For the average family with children, the cost of binning food can be more than £700 per year. So, Food Waste Action Week is all about avoiding being savvy in how we store but then use our food.”

Love Food Hate Waste is keen to show that used properly, the freezer is the king of the kitchen. In fact, freezing and defrosting just three key meat items that are commonly not used in time (fresh chicken, bacon, and sausages) could reduce waste of those items by as much as 15,000 tonnes per annum. And, when it comes to defrosting, busy households can avoid a lengthy overnight defrost by using their microwave instead – as people use a toaster to defrost sliced bread from the freezer.

Working together, we can prevent food being wasted needlessly and protect the planet.