Tesco reveals 8,490 tons worth of Easter leftovers set for UK bins as food waste spikes during holidays

02 Apr 2021 --- New research from Tesco and environmental charity Hubbub suggests that £58.4 million (US$81 million) worth of leftovers are destined for bins in British households this Easter.

According to the research, holiday periods are a particularly problematic time for food waste. One in four people (26 percent) throw away more food around holidays such as Christmas, Eid, Easter and Diwali. 

The retailer forecasts that approximately 8,490 tons of food is destined to go to waste this Easter. This includes an estimated 6.8 million hot cross buns weighing in at 550 tons and costing £2.6 million (US$3.6 million).

Climate implications of food waste 
Unnecessary Easter food waste contributes to the 25 million tons of carbon emissions associated with food waste in the UK.

The research revealed one in four (25 percent) feel household food waste doesn’t contribute to Greenhouse Gas emissions and climate change.

However, wasting leftovers is largely avoidable, stresses the supermarket chain. 

Learnings from Tesco’s No Time For Waste Challenge trial in 2020 showed how equipping households with the proper knowledge and inspiration around saving food from the bin could help them reduce the amount wasted by up to 76 percent. This is the equivalent of saving 1.46 kg of good food from waste.

The research comes as the UK prepares to host the COP26 UN climate conference later this year. 

Tesco, therefore, created a dedicated No Time For Waste website to help households reduce their food waste and contribute to the fight against climate change.

It features tips to help households avoid wasting food and provide simple to implement ideas, including how to plan shopping and store food and create simple recipes to use up any leftovers and avoid waste.

Inspiring recipes and using leftovers
Tesco hopes this new guide will encourage more people to use their leftover Easter trimmings for another meal. Currently, only 41 percent of survey respondents say they would typically do this. 

Across a typical Easter weekend, British households will waste 9.5 million slices of leftover roast meat, 19 million leftover potatoes, 20 million leftover portions of vegetables and almost 7 million uneaten hot cross buns.

“Cutting food waste doesn’t have to be difficult, and it can help families to save money while making a huge contribution to fighting climate change. Households that have taken part in our food waste challenge have cut food waste by 76 percent by making small changes to how they plan, store and use food, so we’re keen to make the most of these learnings to help more people save food waste from the bin,” says Kené Umeasiegbu, campaigns director at Tesco.

Aoife Allen, Head of Food at Hubbub, adds how the COVID-19 pandemic has prompted a real shift in food habits, with many people valuing their food more than ever and learning new food skills. 

“Still, around one in four of us see a spike in waste at home during holidays such as Easter, so we’re sharing some top tips for making the most of our food in these moments,” she says. “Simple actions such as planning before shopping and knowing what to do with leftovers make a huge difference to our budgets and are a brilliant way to do our bit for the environment. These tips aren’t just for Easter – they will see us through the rest of the year too.”

Edited by Gaynor Selby