Embargoed for publication until 00.01 Monday 7th March
Just Eat launches ‘Waste less’ chip portion trial to reduce food waste •
New study from Just Eat and Hubbub finds chips are among the most wasted takeaway food, ahead of Food Waste Action Week
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Just Eat launches series of commitments to help reduce food waste among restaurant partners and customers
A new study, the Food Waste Race, undertaken by Just Eat and environmental charity Hubbub and published ahead of Food Waste Action Week, has found that chips are the most wasted takeaway food. With 72% of the study’s participants saying they had leftover chips after eating their takeaway meals, Just Eat is launching a trial with a group of restaurant partners on its platform to give customers the option of a smaller chip portion size. From March, customers buying from a select number of Just Eat restaurants will be able to choose between a standard and ‘waste less’ portion to help them reduce food waste. A survey of takeaway customers which took place at the beginning of the Food Waste Race pilot found that over half (53%) of participants said that they had leftovers from their takeaways due to portion sizes being too big. The top two reasons given for leftovers going to waste were because customers thought they were unsafe to eat later, or didn’t like the thought of eating leftover takeaway food. A series of activities and challenges sought to show participants how they could reduce food waste from their takeaways. These included giving participants tips on food safety and inspiration on how to make the most of their leftovers. At the end of the pilot, 92% of participants said they were wasting less takeaway food, while 97% said they were likely to reduce takeaway waste in future. Participants were also more likely to store typically wasted foods like pizza, curry and chips in the fridge to eat later. And participants not only wasted less takeaway food, but 82% wasted less food from their grocery shopping too.