A study has projected that the UK will over-cater for nearly 12 million barbecues for the month for August.
Salad leaves, hot dog buns, burger rolls, potato salad and coleslaw are amongst the top five items looking to end up in the bin, according to the research which comes from Sainsbury’s, with each event amounting to £36.47 of wasted food – excluding drink.
With people attending or hosting on average two barbecues, Sainsbury’s has projected that around half of those gatherings will be over-catered with hosts putting on a spread larger than necessary. Across the 12 million barbecues to be braved in the notoriously unpredictable weather, a massive £428m worth of food will be binned.
According to Wrap, the government’s food waste advisory body, a significant contribution to the 178 million bags thrown away every year in the UK is half a bag of salad.
Following recent advice from the Food Standards Agency, with the body suggesting strict standards when preparing food for picnics and barbecues, consumers may well be avoiding the risks by throwing food away.
Paul Crewe, head of sustainability, engineering, energy and environment at Sainsbury’s said, “Britons want to give their guests a fantastic barbecue experience with enough options to please everyone’s tastes.
“However, a good plan for leftovers will mean hosts can still offer their friends a feast fit to remember without … food ending up in the bin.”
