In 2020, U.S. survey respondents were asked "Who should primarily be responsible for addressing food waste?" The results show that approximately 43 percent of respondents believe that companies that produce foods should do more toward developing food waste initiatives. U.S. participants were also asked to state their attitudes towards food waste. More half of the participants stated that they do not waste food. Moreover, the same source conducted another global survey. According to the results, approximately half of the participants stated that food waste is morally wrong as a reason to minimize food waste. About 46 percent further stated that having consistent access to food is a privilege and that they do not take it for granted.
Global food waste
According to a global survey, the largest share of food waste worldwide in 2021 was due to date label concerns. Approximately 49 percent of participants named this as the main reason for their food waste. In Europe, it is estimated that Germany produces more than six million metric tons of household food waste every year. This makes Germany the biggest producer of food waste throughout Europe, followed by France and the United Kingdom.
Food waste in the United Kingdom
In the United Kingdome, the figure of respondents who stated that they do not waste any food was even larger than in the U.S. Approximately 68 percent of UK respondents stated that they do not waste any food. In June 2021, approximately 71 percent of respondents in the UK considered food waste to be an important issue, according to another survey. Consumers are becoming increasingly concerned about topics such as food waste and sustainability. In September 2020, a survey in the UK found that 73 percent of concerned consumers were likely to order a dish in a restaurant with ingredients that would otherwise be thrown away. There seem to be no clear gender differences, when it comes to the self perception of food waste avoidance in the UK. The volume of food surplus redistribution in the UK has continuously increased in recent years.
Who should primarily be responsible for addressing food waste?
Numbers do not add up to 100 percent, as respondents could select up to three answers. The source did not provide an exact survey date.
*The source does not provide the number of respondents from individual countries. Furthermore the source made conflicting statements in the report and on its webpage about the number of respondents .
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World Food Programme. (October 15, 2020). Who should primarily be responsible for addressing food waste? [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved May 26, 2022, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1190578/attitudes-towards-how-to-address-food-waste/
World Food Programme. "Who should primarily be responsible for addressing food waste?." Chart. October 15, 2020. Statista. Accessed May 26, 2022. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1190578/attitudes-towards-how-to-address-food-waste/
World Food Programme. (2020). Who should primarily be responsible for addressing food waste?. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: May 26, 2022. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1190578/attitudes-towards-how-to-address-food-waste/
World Food Programme. "Who Should Primarily Be Responsible for Addressing Food Waste?." Statista, Statista Inc., 15 Oct 2020, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1190578/attitudes-towards-how-to-address-food-waste/
World Food Programme, Who should primarily be responsible for addressing food waste? Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1190578/attitudes-towards-how-to-address-food-waste/ (last visited May 26, 2022)