Homes and businesses encouraged to reduce food waste this Christmas
Homes and businesses have been encouraged to consider a number of practical ways to reduce the amount of food they waste.
The Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Richard Bruton, has today (Thursday, December 20) outlined: “Recent research has shown that for the first time ever, we will spend more than €1 billion on groceries during the month of December.”
A statement from the minister’s department outlined that even in normal times of the year, 50% of salads, 25% of fruits and 20% of bread is thrown out.
Food waste costs Irish households nearly €1 billion every year – approximately €700 could be saved by every family in Ireland if they reduced their food waste.
“We know that every year, Irish homes and businesses throw out over 1 million tonnes of food and that this waste peaks at Christmas time. Our ambition is to halve this amount by 2030.”
Continuing, Bruton added: “With businesses wasting twice as much food as households, the scope for savings is enormous. There are a number of practical ways that people can reduce the amount of food they waste in their homes.”
Advice and more tips can be found on the EPA’s website for preventing food waste in business: foodwastecharter.ie.
