What a waste! New survey reveals how much food we throw away
August 23rd, 2012
What does your fridge say about your household? Are you organised and always prepared for when unexpected guests arrive, or is your fridge a chaotic mess of half-used jars of pasta sauce and wilted vegetables?
If your fridge isn’t as neat and tidy as you would like, it appears that you’re not alone – according to a new survey, almost half of Australian households wish their fridge was better organised and admit they find it difficult to locate what they need.
The study – conducted by LG Electronics – found that of 1,250 Australians surveyed, almost 40 per cent claim they forgot about items stored in the back of the fridge.
But one of the most surprising results of the survey was the sheer volume of produce thrown away as waste. Over 17 million items a week are binned, equating to an average of between $500 and $1,000 a year.
According to LG corporate marketing manager Fiona Irving, half of those surveyed said they throw food out at least once a week because they have forgotten about it, binning on average one to three items a week.
“As our lives get busier we have less time to dedicate to mundane jobs like organising our fridges, and no-one would blame us. However it is costing us time and money in the long run.”
To help combat food wastage, home cook extraordinaire Julie Goodwin has ten tips – as well as some handy recipes, like the muffins pictured above – that Australian households can easily implement to help make the most of the groceries they buy.
Speaking to climate change campaigners 1 Million Women, Julie explained that as a mother of three teenage sons, she understand just how much food waste can affect a household budget.
“They [my sons] could eat for Australia. They are very hungry people, so we do make use of just about everything we’ve got in our fridge.”
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