1. Love Food Hate Waste… …passing the message on
Ylva Haglund & Miriam Adcock
Regional Partnership Managers
Zero Waste Scotland is a Scottish Government funded part of WRAP which is a UK wide organisation. It works with businesses, individuals, communities and local authorities to help them reduce waste, recycle more and use resources sustainably. Ylva & Miriam are Regional Partnership Managers, working to build effective partnerships across our region. But we’re here today to talk specifically about food waste as part of our “Love Food Hate Waste” campaign.

2. Love Food Hate Waste Insert title here
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WRAP launched Love Food Hate Waste in 2007 to help UK households recognise and tackle the issue of food waste
In 2009, we carried out “The food we waste in Scotland” research.
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3. Household food and drink waste in the UK
Total food and drink waste
7.2m tonnes
Avoidable
Possibly Avoidable
Unavoidable
Looking at household food and drink waste in the UK, in total we throw away 7.2 million tonnes of food and drink every year.
Of that 7.2 million tonnes 4.4 million tonnes per year is what we call avoidable – i.e. this is food and drink what was at some point prior to being thrown away edible, a slice of bread, an apple, a slice of ham etc… – this is approximately two-thirds of all food and drink waste.
The remaining 2.8 million tonnes per year is split equally between what we call possibly avoidable and unavoidable food waste.
Possibly avoidable is food and drink that some people eat and others do not for example bread crusts, or foods and drinks that can be eaten when a food is prepared in one way but not in another for example generated when making mash potato, may have been eaten when making jacket potatoes.
Unavoidable is food or drink preparation that is not, and has not been edible under normal circumstances for example meat bones, egg shells, pineapple skin and tea bags.
Note that composting at home is a solution to the possibly avoidable and unavoidable food waste.
4.4m tonnes
1.4m tonnes
1.4m tonnes

4. Household food and drink waste in Scotland
Avoidable
570,000 tonnes
Prepared, served, or
cooked too much
Not used in time
The avoidable food waste in Scotland is 570,000 tonnes.
Looking at avoidable food and drink waste – the reasons why people throw away food waste can be broken down giving us valuable insights;
The first main reason as to why food and drink is wasted is because we cook, prepare or serve too much. So for example, that’s us cooking too much and not knowing what to do with the leftovers, or dishing too much up onto people’s plates which ends up being thrown away, or even because we have perhaps burnt it during cooking.
The other main reason we throw away avoidable food is because we have not go round to using it in time, for example it has gone past its use-by date, or has gone mouldy or rotten, or smelt or tasted bad.
There are other reasons as to why food is thrown away but the research was not able to split these reasons out.

5. Household food and drink waste (by weight)
So we know we are wasting food and drink – 570,000 tonnes of it – but what foods are we wasting?
Actually we waste all of them!
The foods and drinks wasted comprises many different groups, but the most prominent by weight are fresh vegetables and salad, which make up 15% of the wasted food and drink , drink - 17%, fresh fruit - 9% and bakery - 12%

6. EACH DAY in Scotland, we throw away around…
Milk: 85,000 litres Bread: 68 tonnes Fizzy drinks: 63,000 litres
Output of 1300 cows ,000 loaves ,000 cans
Potatoes: 52 boxes Ready Meals: 38 tonnes
42,000 tatties ,000 meals

7. Environmental Impact
Producing, storing and transporting food uses energy and resources
The equivalent to 1.7 million tonnes of carbon dioxide every year
If we stopped wasting food it would be the equivalent to taking 1 in 4 cars off the road
Food in landfill generates methane -one of the most harmful greenhouse gases
The greenhouse gas emissions associated with avoidable food and drink waste is the equivalent of approximately 1.7 million tonnes of carbon dioxide per year.

8. Financial Impact
Scottish householders are throwing away £1 billion worth of good food and drink every year.
£430 per household per year
£550 per household with children per year
Savings of up to £35 a month
In financial terms what is the cost to the consumer of wasting food and drink?
UK households are throwing away £1 billion worth of good food every year – that’s the cost of purchasing all the avoidable food waste.
To the average household that’s £430 per year, and if you have children in your household the cost increases to £550 a year.
So in summary if we all stopped wasting food that could have been eaten, UK households could save up to £35 a month each.

9. “It’s all the fault of the retailers”
We hear this excuse all the time.
But we saw at the beginning that the retailers are actually only responsible for a tiny part of the food waste (around 2%).

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22%
27%
Across the UK, the amount of food waste was analysed. The key thing to note is that Householders (us) are responsible for nearly half of all food waste (not the supermarkets who they like to blame). So teaching pupils the importance of not wasting food is key in preventing future generations from wasting food, and to help educate their parents as to what they can do now.
NB. Schools come under the Agriculture, Hospitality and Other section.
49%

11. What is the Courtauld Commitment?
A voluntary agreement aimed at improving resource efficiency and reducing the carbon and wider environmental impact of the UK grocery retail sector.
Context
 total household waste was 22.5 Mt
 increased to 26 Mt
Increasing by 16% over 6 years
No more than 5% waste to landfill by 2025 (Zero Waste Plan) and the Waste (Scotland Regulations) had stated that all businesses producing over 50kgs per week of food waste will need to separate out food waste from 2014 and Local Authorities will have to offer household food waste collections (except in rural areas).
Signatories are key retailers and brands from the grocery sector – 53 retailers and brands including all the major supermarkets. Among them are also the big food manufacturers such as Premier Foods and Northern Foods who produce all the branded goods such as Bisto, Ryvita, Jordans, Branston Pickle, etc. and of course AG Barr – who make Irn Bru.
And many more …

12. Courtauld Commitment targets:
To reduce the carbon impact of grocery packaging by 10%
To reduce UK household food and drink waste by 4%
To reduce grocery packaging waste in the supply chain by 5%
Packaging – AG Barr, thanks to state of the art technology at their Scottish plant, they have reduced packaging on their 2l, 500ml and 250ml bottles. This has saved 1,869 tonnes of CO2 eq/505 tonnes of plastic. The 500ml and 250ml bottles are amongst the lightest within the carbonated soft drinks market.

13. Helping consumers buy the right amount
Kingsmill introduced their little big loaf.
Other examples include a choice of product sizes to help consumers buy the right amount for their needs, such as Heinz Beans Snap Pots, and Lloyd Grossman’s ‘For One’ range of cooking sauces.
Further examples of package functionality includes twin packs for products such as salads, par-baked goods and meat products which allow the consumer to only open part of the product, while the rest remains sealed for later.
Heinz Beans now also offer convenient fridge packs with single portion markings on the side.

14. Helping consumers keep food at its best
More products in resealable packaging to help products stay fresher for longer.
Clearer on-pack labelling on where to store items to prolong their shelf life
Packaging needs to be FIT FOR PURPOSE: Packaging can be really useful in reducing the problem of food waste. For example: According to the Cucumber Growers’ Association, shrink-wrapped cucumbers are still saleable after 14 days whereas without this sheath of plastic, it is unsaleable after 3 days.
Morrisons has begun scientific research in conjunction with Writtle College, a partner of the University of Essex, to understand how packaging affects the life of fresh fruit and vegetables and whether it can benefit storage in the home. For example, the life of broccoli can be lengthened by two days if kept packaged and in the fridge. 
Co-op have put food storage messages on their fruit and veg bags.
The supermarkets are also promoting waste reduction through websites, magazines and roadshows.
Asda have a greener living website with LFHW messages and advice.
Co-op watch your waste events have been hugely successful.
There have been magazine features such as ‘Rise and Shine’ in partnership with Warburtons to highlight storage advice regarding bakery products

15. Practical Tips and Advice

16. The LFHW website is a great place to look for tips and advice.
About FOOD WASTE includes detailed reports on waste.

17. Five Key Behaviours  It pays to plan  Know your dates
 Savvy storage
Perfect portions
Lovely Leftovers
We recommend 5 simple steps to reducing food waste.
1. Planning
Checking what’s in your cupboard, fridge and freezer before you go shopping.
Thinking of what you want to be eating over the next few days
Making a shopping list
Looking a recipe books for ideas and leftover meal ideas
Thinking of your weekly schedule and family commitments
Think of how many people will be eating, food preferences

18. Snapshot of the ‘planning’ section of the website
You can download a blank planner to make a menu plan and shopping list – very useful.

19. Five Key Behaviours  It pays to plan  Know your dates
 Savvy storage
Perfect portions
Lovely Leftovers
The key behaviours around date label are:
1. Check the dates on food regularly and use foods with the shortest date first
2. Freeze for later foods you won’t get round to eating in time
3. Checking dates saves money and lets you enjoy food at it’s best.

20. The website gives guidance on the different kinds of labels;
Use by;
Best Before
Display until/sell by

21. Five Key Behaviours  It pays to plan  Know your dates
 Savvy storage
Perfect portions
Lovely Leftovers
Savvy Storage - most leftovers will keep for up to two days in the fridge well wrapped, most fruit and veg will stay fresher for longer stored in the fridge, and wrap well or store in air-tight containers fresh foods once opened
The freezer is such a useful tool;
It helps us to prolong the life of the food by slowing the growth of microorganisms (bacteria, yeasts and moulds) which cause the food to spoil
It allows us to prepare food in advance to save time when we’re busy
It allows us extra time to think up how best to use our food.
And it doesn’t destroy nutrients!
Foods can be frozen up to one day before the 'use by' date (doesn’t need to be immediately after purchase)
Remember
Avoid UFOs (unidentified frozen objects) by labelling the foods well before freezing – remember to include the date
Use appropriate storage containers – freezer bags take up less space than rigid containers
Use the freezer often, don’t treat it like a black hole – research shows that the average household could survive on the contents of their freezer for 11 days!
Keep a good supply of essential foods for convenience (frozen veg/pastry/homemade ready meals/fruit/bread)
If cooking or reheating ensure food is steaming hot all the way through before serving.

22. The freezer is such a useful tool;
It helps us to prolong the life of the food by slowing the growth of microorganisms (bacteria, yeasts and moulds) which cause the food to spoil
It allows us to prepare food in advance to save time when we’re busy
It allows us extra time to think up how best to use our food.
And it doesn’t destroy nutrients!
Foods can be frozen up to one day before the 'use by' date (doesn’t need to be immediately after purchase)
Remember
Avoid UFOs (unidentified frozen objects) by labelling the foods well before freezing – remember to include the date
Use appropriate storage containers – freezer bags take up less space than rigid containers
Use the freezer often, don’t treat it like a black hole – research shows that the average household could survive on the contents of their freezer for 11 days!
Keep a good supply of essential foods for convenience (frozen veg/pastry/homemade ready meals/fruit/bread)
If cooking or reheating ensure food is steaming hot all the way through before serving.
Additional Top Tips:
Freezers tend to operate more efficiently if they are at least ¾ full.
Defrost manual freezers regularly to ensure to ensure they’re working efficiently.
Many modern freezers have a ‘FAST-FREEZE’ function.  Aim to switch it on at least an hour before you plan to put a new batch of food into the freezer.  This function allows the freezer to cope with the temperature changes when you add a new batch of food and also ensures the food freezes quickly with smaller ice crystals, which helps to maintain the quality of the food. Remember to switch the ‘FAST-FREEZE’ function off again in a few hours once the temperature has stabilised. 
Protect foods with appropriate freezer packaging – this will prevent food from losing moisture and drying out and will preserve the nutrients, flavour, texture and colour.
When wrapping food, or using freezer bags, press out as much air as possible and mould the wrapping or packaging as close to the food as possible and then seal as air can cause flavour and colour changes if the food isn’t properly sealed.
This should also help to avoid freezer burn which is caused by evaporation of ice crystals on the surface. (Freezer burn affects the quality of the food rather than the safety).
Blanching of vegetables is usually recommended prior to freezing and this consists of plunging them quickly into boiling water - for just a minute or two – and then immediately into a bowl of ice water before putting on a clean tea towel to drain and dry before freezing

23. Five Key Behaviours  It pays to plan  Know your dates
 Savvy storage
Perfect portions
Lovely Leftovers
The research shows that rice and pasta are things we cook too much of the most and don’t routinely store the leftovers for other uses – it’s not just cooking too much that’s the issue here, it’s not using up what’s leftover.
Portioning - Measuring portion sizes helps us to avoid cooking, preparing or serving too much food.
Many people do measure their food but don’t feel confident with the amount in the pan so will add more! Suggest making a note of number of people, food, portion size and then record afterwards if too much/little/just right – this will help them be confident with perfect portion!
Portioning is easy – you don’t need any fancy tools – a mug, tablespoon, spaghetti measure, or simple scales are all you need.

24. The portion calculator on the website is great for catering for larger groups. Hard to guess how much food for 8 or 10 if you’re not used to it.

25. Five Key Behaviours  It pays to plan  Know your dates
 Savvy storage
Perfect portions
Lovely Leftovers
Lovely leftovers – be creative with using up leftovers

26. Snapshot of the LFHW recipe bank
Snapshot of the LFHW recipe bank. Allows you to show people that the bank can be searched by various categories and by food types.

27. …the ‘hints and tips’ tab is highlighted to illustrate the sort of info they can find on the website about reviving foods
Pick out some examples

28. Five Key Behaviours  It pays to plan  Know your dates
 Savvy storage
Perfect portions
Lovely Leftovers
So, there’s no rocket-science here, just good simple advice that anyone can follow, which will save you money and help the environment.

29. Your role … passing the message on …

30. Getting pupils involved …
‘Ready Steady Cook’ for using up leftovers
Design a food waste poster
Games around topics e.g. guess how many portions, freezer game etc
Cooking lessons based around making 3 meals from a chicken
Do a food waste audit

31. Resources Volunteer groups www.zerowastescotland.org.uk/volunteer
LFHW App
Leaflets
(UK figures)
Volunteer groups may be able to provide volunteers to come into school and do events (South Lanarkshire schools come and talk to me as hoping to pilot cookery project).
Partners site includes recipes, leaflets etc you can print (not child specific)
LFHW App on i-phone and Android
Leaflets –here but also available via partners site and volunteer groups.
Recycle Now website includes WRAP report on food waste in schools. I also have a report on a Food Waste and recycling audit that was carried out in 10 South Ayrshire Schools in 2011.
Greener Scotland – Scottish Government resources

32. Curriculum for Excellence
Education Scotland website and leaflets;
Two really good sources of information on linking food to the Curriculum for Excellence.
The Education Scotland site has a leaflet and a poster showing links to the Curriculum for Excellence. Copies on our stand.

33. Curriculum for Excellence
Technologies – TCH 0-02a; Within and beyond my place of learning,
I can reduce, re-use and recycle resources I use, to help care for the
environment.
NB. Using up leftovers, make as many meals from one food item
(e.g. a chicken) as possible.
Technologies – TCH 1-02a; Throughout my learning, I take
appropriate action to ensure conservation of materials and
resources, considering the impact of my actions on the environment.
NB. All the LFHW steps e.g. planning, storing, shopping etc.
Also TCH 2-02a, TCH 2-04a and TCH 2-11a
Some of the Curriculum for Excellent outcomes that may be of use.

34. Curriculum for Excellence
Health and Wellbeing – HWB 2-36a; By investigating food
labelling systems, I can begin to understand how to use them to
make healthy food choices.
NB. Understand labelling in terms of use-by dates, best before etc.
Social Studies – SOC 2-08a; I can discuss the environmental
impact of human activity and suggest ways in which we can live
in a more environmentally-responsible way.
NB. Understand what happens to food waste in landfill and how to reduce
the amount of food going to landfill.

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Thank you very much for your time
Miriam –
Ylva –
Download the Love Food Hate Waste mobile app on Android; or iPhone; (NB. The iphone version is currently off-line whilst the new version is being uploaded – should be on there in the next few days).
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