Households waste 2 mln tonnes of food a year

Nearly two million tonnes of food annually are wasted  at Polish households, according to a report by the Federation of Polish Food Banks (FPBŻ). Polish families throw out bread, fruits, meats, vegetables and yogurts most frequently. As many 60 percent of Poles aged 18-75 admit to food waste. The main reason behind this behavior is expired date (45 percent), improper storage of food (12 percent), excessive portions (10 percent), the purchase of low-quality food (9 percent) and bad tasting food (8 percent). According to the report, Poland ranks fifth in the EU (behind the UK, Germany, France and the Netherlands) in terms of the volume of wasted food. In the Western countries, however, more food is squandered by consumers, while in Poland, the food industry is responsible for the large part of waste. In total, as many as nine millon tonnes of food are thrown out annually.