{
  "abstract": "Background Curbing the impacts of climate change through emissions reduction is vital for human health. The food system accounts for 19% of UK domestic carbon emissions and food waste accounts for 6–7% of greenhouse gas emissions annually. To reduce household food waste, understanding which foods are wasted, by whom and why is critical. We examine the sociodemographic patterning of food waste for six key food groups and the underlying reasons.Methods We surveyed a random sample of Kantar Worldpanel households (n=840) residing in Birmingham or the North West of England in July 2024. Participants were asked to estimate their food waste (0–4%, 5–9%, 10–24%, 25–49%, 50–74% or 75–100%) and reported reasons for waste. Using Stata SE 18, adjusted logistic regression models were used to examine associations between household characteristics and responses.Results Over 40% of households reported wasting ≥5% of their last purchase of fresh vegetables. Wastage of ≥5% was also reported for bread (33.7% of households), cow’s milk (19.5%), cheese (16.8%), white meat and fish (14.1%) and red meat (11.7%). Lowest (vs highest) occupational social class households were more likely to report wasting ≥5% of red meat (OR 3.34, 95% CI 1.44–7.76). Older shoppers (≥70 years vs ≤39 years) were less likely to waste ≥5% of fresh vegetables (OR 0.40, 95% CI 0.23–0.72) and cow’s milk (OR 0.45, 95% CI 0.22–0.95). Two-adult (vs one-adult) households were less likely to waste ≥5% of red meat (OR 0.46, 95% CI 0.24–0.89), white meat and fish (OR 0.53, 95% CI 0.29–0.95), cow’s milk (OR 0.47, 95% CI 0.29–0.78) and cheese (OR 0.58, 95% CI 0.34–0.98). Households with children reported more wastage of white meat and fish (OR 2.40, 95% CI 1.20–4.81), bread (OR 1.73, 95% CI 1.05–2.86) and cheese (OR 2.08, 95% CI 1.09–3.96), alongside increased likelihood of plate waste (OR 4.40, 95% CI 2.60–7.45) and wasting food because too much was prepared (OR 1.91, 95% CI 1.12–3.27). Older households were less likely to cite best before dates (OR 0.22, 95% CI 0.11–0.45) or that food went bad (OR 0.21, 95% CI 0.11–0.40) as reasons for food waste.Conclusion Younger households may be a target population for waste reduction interventions as they waste more, citing avoidable reasons. Households with children reported more plate waste perhaps due to the unpredictability of children’s eating. Social desirability may have led to under-reporting of food waste and this bias may have been stronger in some population groups.",
  "authors": [
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Public Health, Environments and Society, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Amy Yau"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Public Health, Environments and Society, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Sophie Hedges"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Thomas Ball"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Andrew Balmford"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Lynn V Dicks"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Institute of Population Health, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Paul Adeosun"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Applied Health Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Lin Fu"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "MRC Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Viktorija Kesaite"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "MRC Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Kelly Parsons"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "MRC Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Alexia Sawyer"
    }
  ],
  "title": "P04 Which households waste food and why? A cross-sectional analysis of survey data from an English consumer panel",
  "uid": "7f2a7f50-2074-537f-91ce-1266b7d5ee0e"
}