May 7th, 2020
4 mins
WRAP have released a new report on 5 May looking at ‘Citizen responses to the Covid-19 lockdown – food purchasing, management and waste.’ The report shows that the lockdown is having a profound effect on citizens’ daily lives, including:
- UK citizens are managing their food better in lockdown, including more pre-shop planning, better in-home food management and using creative approaches to cooking.
- These new behaviours are leading to a reported 34% reduction in waste of potatoes, bread, chicken, and milk.
- WRAP calls on businesses, local authorities and others to help citizens make this the ‘new normal’.
Also published is a new blog from WRAP’s Head of Citizen Behaviour Change Sarah Clayton, on why the results give us real hope for the future. The message is clear that we all have a role to play in helping to make loving food and hating waste the new normal.
As a reminder, here are also some of the resources and support WRAP has made available in recent weeks to boost surplus food redistribution:
- Surplus food redistribution resource hub. All the information you need, in one place. This web page is updated regularly with the critical information that you need to help make informed decisions about how we can all help to redistribute surplus food to those in most need.
- New redistribution guidance – WRAP has published updated guidance for industry and redistributors to increase the amount of surplus food redistributed beyond the ‘Best Before’ date. Produced in association with the Food Standards Agency and Defra, the guidance covers labelling and storage instruction for surplus food past the ‘Best Before’ date across key food categories.
- Emergency surplus food redistribution grants – As part of the UK Government’s collaborative response to supporting key infrastructure throughout this difficult time, Defra has made available £3.25m through the Resource Action Fund administered by WRAP. Find out more and apply.
