Food: 82% of consumers say they throw food away – 07/20/2023 – Market

While about 10.1 million Brazilians went hungry between 2020 and 2022, according to the UN (United Nations), 82% of consumers say they throw food away with some frequency – such as leftover food and vegetables or vegetables that have gone bad.

When asked if they throw food in the trash to some extent, 4% say they do it all the time, 9% do it often, 21% said they do it sometimes and 48% say it rarely —while 18% said they never throw food away.

The data comes from an unprecedented study by the digital research startup MindMiners, in partnership with Nestlé, with online interviews conducted with 2,000 consumers and 500 owners or employees of companies in the food sector from all regions of the country.

Among those who said they rarely or never throw anything away are mainly families with children. In addition, 64% of consumers said they were willing to consume expired food, depending on the situation.

In households, the main foods that end up in the trash are prepared foods (40%), processed foods (18%) and vegetables (16%).

With regard to companies in the food sector, 96% admitted to discarding food, with 54% saying they do this always or often, and only 4% saying they never throw food away.

Among the main causes, the one that stands out is the amount of food that customers leave (49%) – with 2 out of 10 saying they don’t mind leaving leftovers on plates in restaurants.

The emphasis on prepared foods that end up in the trash has led researchers to question whether the amount of food cooked in homes has been properly planned.

37% said they prepare only what they will consume that day, while 53% make a larger amount for other meals or just in case.

At this point, planning about food preparation is stronger for class C, which seems to reflect this group’s greater concern with the family’s financial constraints, while class A ends up standing out in the frequency of discards.

Among those interviewed for the study, 52% were women and 48% were men, 45% were from class C, 40% from class B and 15% from class A.

To reduce the problem, experts recommend planning the purchase, avoiding excesses and leftovers, proper storage that extends the shelf life of the food and transforming leftovers into fertilizer for personal use or donation.

“Of course, the population must also be aware, after all, part of the waste also occurs in homes. However, the daily volume of food prepared and processed in a single food company is much greater than in a house with three people.

According to Barbara Sapunar, director of Nestlé, the company maintains partnerships with Mesa Brasil, a network that acts against hunger and waste, and with the NGO Banco de Alimentos, which collects food that has lost shelf value, but is still good for consumption. “We are also part of the Todos à Mesa movement, a coalition of companies and organizations that aims to reduce food waste and the impacts of hunger in Brazil.”

Last week, the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World report revealed that about 10.1 million Brazilians went hungry in the period from 2020 to 2022 – albeit a high level, a reduction compared to previous years. At the same time, the percentage of Brazilians suffering from food insecurity increased and reached 70.3 million people.

Data from 2016 by Embrapa (Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation) indicate that 90% of food losses occur before they reach homes —50% occur in handling and transport, 30% occur in supply centers and 10% in the field. Retail and households would therefore account for the remaining 10%.

Even though the highest volume of waste does not occur by the final consumer, both he and the owners and employees of companies in the food segment see households as the main responsible for them: 75% of consumers say they believe this, and 66% of employees and businessmen answered the same.

Then come the food industries (44%), commerce (43%) and the government (39%), in the view of consumers.

While the majority (64%) of consumers say they believe they are doing their best to combat food waste, and a similar level of 66% of establishment owners and workers in the food industry responded the same.

The survey also sought to find out whether eating at home or on the street contributes in some way to food waste. 37% say they eat more meals at home than out (this answer is even more frequent for women), while 8% answered that they eat more meals out than at home.

49% say they rarely order food via app or over the phone, while 35% order food at least once a week.

According to the survey, hunger in the world and in Brazil is a problem that worries 63% of respondents, followed by the increase in intolerance and violence (49%) and the impact of human actions on the environment (42%). 85% also agree that reducing waste in the country is important.

According to a survey by Rede Penssan, from 2022, 27 million tons of food are thrown away per year, and the Brazilian throws, on average, 60 kilos of good food for consumption. In fruits and vegetables alone, R$ 1.3 billion are thrown away annually.