Christmas Dinner
Christmas is just over a week away but new research has revealed that it is going to be a wasteful one as Brits will throw away 4.2 million Christmas dinners.
While we all break the bank to get in some great Christmas grub, it has been revealed by Unilever that nearly 10% of every dinner plate is thrown away on the big day.
That means that the equivalent of 17.2 million Brussel sprouts, 263,000 turkeys and 740,000 Christmas puddings will all be thrown away on 25th December.
Unilever talked to 2,000 adults about their Christmas food buying and throwing away habits, and 20% admit to buying traditional Christmas good that they don't necessarily like to eat, which results in a whole host of food being discarded.
Top 10 most thrown-away Christmas foods:
We throw away:
1. 17.2m Brussels sprouts
2. 11.9m carrots
3. 11.3m roast potatoes
4. 10.9m parsnips
5. 9.8m cups of gravy
6. 7.9m slices of turkey (approx. 263,000 turkeys)
7. 7.9m cups of stuffing
8. 7.5m mince pies
9. 7.4m slices of Christmas pudding (approx. 740,000 Christmas puddings)
10. 7.1m pigs in blankets
36% of adults say that they get caught up in the Christmas spirit and that is the main reason why they buy too much food at this time of year.
And it is the under 35s that are the most wasteful at Christmas, as they spend more than the national average on food and then throw away 13% of what they have bought.
As part of Unilever’s Project Sunlight #ClearAPlate campaign, aimed at showing that ‘food poverty’ and ‘food waste’ are issues closer to home than many of us think, the research exposes the excesses of the festive season, with 75% of people admitting to overspending on their Christmas Day shop, and having too much leftover food.
We all know that Christmas is a time for giving and, through the campaign this year, Unilever are asking people to give just a moment to plan their festive food and think about what goes into the trolley. We’re also asking that if you do buy too much, don’t forget to drop some tins into your local food bank to help those that need it.
Tagged in Christmas