World meat industry news

Research shows £260m worth of raw and cooked beef items go to waste annually - equivalent to 300m beef burgers

UK householders throw away 34,000 tonnes of beef every year - the equivalent of 300m beef burgers, according to new research.

The national Love Food Hate Waste campaign has partnered with farmer and BBC Countryfile presenter, Adam Henson, to urge Britons to make the most of their meat.

Around £260m worth of raw and cooked beef items go to waste each year in UK households, according to the research by the campaign. But much of this could be avoided, it says, through simple steps such as planning meals in advance, storing food better, understanding date labels, serving the right portions and making better use of leftovers.

The environmental cost is also high because - as with any food - when meat is wasted, all the valuable resources that went into its production are wasted too.

Despite a consumer backlash against red meat on health grounds, a poll commissioned by Love Food Hate Waste’s Meaty Issues campaign shows that many beef dishes remain popular in the UK’s kitchens.

Spaghetti bolognese was named the country’s favourite beef dish, picked by one in five consumers (20%). In the poll of more than 2,000 UK adults, this was followed by roast beef (18%) and steak (12%).

However, one in six (17%) of those who bought beef said it had gone to waste as they left it to go past the key use-by date. Almost one in 10 (9%) admitted they’d thrown it out after leaving it uncovered or in an open packet. Only three out of 10 people who buy beef said they planned meals in advance before shopping for it (30%) and just 19% check how much they have in the fridge before going to buy more.

According to the latest figures from government agency Wrap, UK households waste 7m tonnes of food – worth £700 per family – every year at a total cost of £12.5bn. This is just under half the 15m tonnes of food wasted annually in the UK – the rest by supermarkets, restaurants and elsewhere in the supply chain.

“As a farmer by trade, I’m passionate about the issue of wasted meat and how to minimise it,” said Henson. “Beef is one of our favourite meats in the UK, and we really should be doing everything we can to make the most of it once we’ve put it in our shopping trolleys.”