British households throw away enough blueberries annually to fill Battersea Power Station turbine hall from floor to ceiling
New research from craft distillery Penrhos Spirits has revealed that Britons throw away over 12,000 tonnes of fresh blueberries every year, enough to almost fill the turbine hall at Battersea Power Station.
8.1 billion individual blueberries, or 81mn punnets, are thrown away across the UK, worth £163mn at today’s retail prices, according to the analysis.
It also found that while 61 per cent of British adults buy fresh blueberries, 44 per cent admit to throwing some away the last time they bought them, which is equivalent to around 14mn adults binning fruit they paid for.
Laid end to end, the 81mn discarded punnets would stretch from London to Edinburgh 17 times.
The research also found 60 per cent said they regularly discover mouldy or squashed berries at the bottom of the punnet, with 81 per cent admitting to feeling guilty when throwing them away.
The findings have prompted Penrhos Spirits to launch its #SaveTheBlueberries campaign, encouraging households to rescue their squishy or squashed blueberries by simply putting them in the freezer.
Penrhos creates its spirits using fruit that would otherwise go to waste, including imperfect and wonky blueberries that are unsuitable for supermarket shelves despite being perfectly good to eat.
Since launching in 2019, the brand has rescued over 1 million blueberries from going to waste, and have created a ‘Wonky Bluberry Gin’.
Harriet Evans, co-founder of Penrhos Spirits, said: “Every year growers lose perfectly edible blueberries simply because they’re the wrong size or shape, and then millions more are thrown away in our homes.
“The good news is this is one of the easiest food waste problems to solve. Blueberries freeze brilliantly. Instead of throwing them away, simply pop them in the freezer and use them later in smoothies, baking, porridge or even as ice cubes in a gin and tonic,” she added.
