Back in March, Love Food Hate Waste ran our annual Food Waste Action Week campaign, motivating citizens to reduce food wasted in their homes. This year, the focus was on raising awareness of the benefits of buying loose fruit and vegetables.
We wanted to show that by choosing loose fruit and veg (instead of packaged), people can buy the exact amount they need. Selecting loose also means that people can opt for the type of fruit or veg they personally like; be that a slightly squishy banana, one single red pepper, or a potato the size of their head! By encouraging people to choose loose, we know we can reduce food waste – WRAP research has shown that if all apples, bananas, and potatoes were sold loose we could save a massive 60,000 tonnes of food waste, as we are enabling people to buy closer to their needs.
Getting people to love loose is a win-win; they get to buy what they really need and like, and less food ends up in the bin. But it’s not a behaviour that always comes naturally to people when doing the weekly shop. We are so used to grabbing a bag of something because it’s easier and it’s what’s there. At WRAP, we are trying to turn the tide on the way fruit and veg is both bought and sold; we’re working with retailers across the country to enable them to sell more loose lines of produce.
Alongside that, we are raising awareness amongst citizens through campaigns like Food Waste Action Week. This year, we had an incredible week of action – our celebrity ambassador, Gino D’Acampo surprised shoppers and shared his advice on why people should ‘Choose What They’ll Use’ and buy loose fruit and veg instead of packaged. We worked in schools, sharing teaching resources which children then took home to parents across the UK. We also ran a Partner Event: a day of thought-provoking sessions on tackling household food waste, new citizen insights and research, and a closer look at how food waste recycling can help drive down food waste.
The campaign garnered huge media attention with over 200 pieces of coverage; thousands of posts on social media, including from over 220 local authorities; and over 10,000 web visits to access our school resources. Other highlights include:
- 23 pieces of national media coverage
- 18% of UK citizens heard or saw something about Food Waste Action Week, and 55% said they did something differently as a result. That’s the equivalent to 5.3 million people changing their behaviour
- From our school activity, 79% of parents surveyed say they are likely to buy more fruit and veg loose in the future
- 221 local authorities were sharing content on social media
- 950,000+ views of key influencer content
Thank you to everyone who got involved this year and helped spread the message. We’re continuing to share the assets across our social channels as they live on beyond Food Waste Action Week. Please feel free to use them in your own communications campaigns, they are all downloadable from our website, here: Food Waste Action Week campaign assets 2024 | WRAP.
With food waste costing the average household of four £1000 a year, we want to keep this issue front and centre; encouraging people to buy loose where they can and only ever choose what they will use.
