Young people between the ages of 18 and 24 throw away the most fresh food, according to new research by food tech firm It’s Fresh and survey company Populus.
Of this age group, 92 per cent said they bin fresh food regularly, with the top reason for binning food cited as not eating it before it goes off.
Over half of those asked said they feel guilty when wasting fruit or veg, rising to 54 per cent for women and 47 per cent in men.
Regional discrepancies included those in London wasting more than other areas of the countries, with 28 per cent of residents in the capital throwing away more than 10 per cent of the fresh produce they buy each week.
In contrast, in Wales, 59 per cent of people throw away less than 10 per cent of the fruit and veg bought each week.
Some respondents blamed lack of facilities for high volumes of food waste: where food waste disposal is provided, people said they were less likely to throw fresh produce away. In Wales, 94 per cent of respondents state that the council provides a caddy or food waste bin, and this was also the region that wastes the least food.
Middle and upper middle classes are more likely than those in social grade DE to throw away any fruit and veg each week, while frustration around wasting food is more common among those in lower social grades.
Co-founder of It’s Fresh Simon Lee said: “The research clearly shows people are deeply guilt ridden and frustrated by the food they’re forced to throw away and this waste is mainly down to food not being used in time.
“Wasting food wastes everything that has gone into getting the produce to the consumer and more needs to be done to help people reduce what they throw away.'
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