Special offers on food lead to more household waste

Special offers on food items have led to an increase in the amount of waste produced by households as consumers purchase more than what they need, according to research conducted by the Agriculture Department of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.

More specifically, 72% of consumers buy more food than necessary as they are lured by offers.

Foods that end up in household bins are mainly those that are consumed daily. For instance, fruit (48.9%) and vegetables (38.7%) end up in the trash because they have spoiled.

Almost half the milk and yogurt (40.9%) purchased is thrown away on the indicated expiration date, while 35% of bread is discarded. Some 35% of meat and 31.8% of fish also end up in household waste bins after they have been cooked, as leftovers.

The study showed that the trend of throwing out surplus food is more prevalent among young people.