https://www.loom.com/share/6f336ed4cebe4b6b885996f8cbf18dfe?sharedAppSource=personal_library

Fruitfully addresses the household food waste problem, which accounts for 21% of the avoidable food waste in Canada (Gooch et al., 2019). However, up to 63% of this food could have been eaten (National Zero Waste Council 2020).

Household waste is caused by:

  1. Storing food improperly
  2. Throwing out leftovers or food that has reached its best before date
  3. Purchasing too much food

<aside> đź“Ś About two-thirds of food waste at home is caused by food spoilage (NRDC, 2020). This is primarily due to throwing out foods that have reached their best-before date.

</aside>

<aside> 🍏 The most wasted foods by weight at the household level are vegetables: 30%, fruit: 15%, and leftovers: 13% (NRDC, 2020).

</aside>

<aside> 💭 Additionally, most people don’t know that “best before” dates are only a guide for food quality, not food safety, which can lead to unnecessary food waste. An estimated 80 percent of Americans prematurely discard food due to this confusion (FMI 2015).

</aside>

Root Causes

"The average consumer is not aware of the staggering and depressing extent of food loss and waste." -Food Retailer

Consumers also often make inaccurate estimates of how many ingredients they will use during the week. The root causes of these behaviours are a lack of awareness and education. Consumers do not know enough about the food waste problem to properly meal plan, reduce overbuying, and—most importantly—avoid throwing out food that has reached its best-before date.

Amount of Food Waste Generated