We’re all guilty of wasting food, but a new study has found just how much families are throwing away, and the results will shock you.
Food waste disposal firm in the US, InSinkErator, commissioned the research and discovered that parents serve 1,460 evening meals to their family during an average year, but end up chucking out the equivalent of over a quarter of those.
Wow! That’s around 394 delicious plates of food going uneaten.
And it was all down to a combination of fussy eaters, snacking before mealtimes, and poor appetites. Almost a quarter of parents even admitted to often cooking meals knowing full well a large amount of it will end up in the trash.
A spokesperson for InSinkErator said, “Mealtimes can often be a chaotic and stressful time for families, whether that’s because of a lack of time to get everything prepared or because family members don’t want to eat what’s on their plate.”
“Parents will spend a large chunk of their time preparing and cooking evening meals for the family, so it can be frustrating to end up throwing so much of that food away.”
“Not only that, but there is a cost implication to think about, with all of that wasted food coming out of their pocket and into the bin.”
The poll of 2,000 parents found eight in ten regularly end up throwing away at least part of their children’s meals.
Forty-five percent blame this on their little ones being fussy eaters, with 57 percent admitting they have put a meal in front of their child, only to have them completely refuse to eat it. Yup!
And a staggering 78 percent had dealt with a child turning down a meal because they ‘didn’t like it’ — despite eating it happily in the past.
We’ve all been there, right?
It also emerged that salad is the dish most likely to be left by children (predictable!), followed by meat and veg, stir-fry, and risotto.
But children aren’t the only ones to blame as the poll, carried out on OnePoll.com, also found the average adult leaves behind around a quarter of what’s on their plate. Too much snacking before dinner?
The study also found almost one in four worry about the amount of food they throw away, but more than half of those questioned admitted they have no idea what happens to their food when it leaves their home, with 46 percent believing it simply goes to landfill.
A spokesperson for InSinkErator, added: “Despite our very best efforts to reduce food waste in the home, a small amount is inevitable, as many of us are faced with the difficulty of disposing of our banana skins, egg shells, and food scraps.”
“A food waste disposer is a discreet asset to any home and provides households with a safe, simple and effective way to dispose of food waste in a convenient and hygienic manner.”
Top 10 foods children refuse to eat — and which end up in the trash:
1) Mushrooms
2) Avocado
3) Cabbage
4) Tomatoes
5) Broccoli
6) Lettuce
7) Green Beans
8) Onions
9) Peppers
10) Salmon
Top 10 things people would like to have at home to help with the food waste
1) A family who is not fussy with their food
2) An automatic food waste bin that empties itself
3) A dedicated area for composting
4) A magic wand (keep wishing!)
5) Pigs in the garden
6) Better planning when shopping and planning meals
7) A dog
8) Recipe ideas
9) A limit on what is bought when shopping to avoid buying too much
10) A waste disposal system
This post was originally published on Closer.
