This report provides an analysis of the current state of attitudes to food waste in RoI and NI. It focuses on the financial, social and legislative drivers behind food waste and food waste reduction, including the impact of the cost of living crisis and pieces of legislation such as the European Union (Household Food Waste and Bio-waste) (Amendment) Regulations 2023. It further identifies responsibility and frequency of shopping and how these are affected by factors such as gender and age. It also notes the approximate percentage of food waste that respondents believed they produced and their reasons for throwing this away. Expiration dates and forgetting food is there emerge as some of the primary reasons for wasting food. The types of food most regularly wasted are also discussed, which include fresh produce and bread, as well as broader attitudes regarding food waste.
The Report also examines the potential for marketing campaigns to mitigate food waste, as well as the possibility of packaging that can extend food shelf life while benefitting the consumer. The wider worldwide competitive landscape is also considered.
This report looks at the following areas:
- Efforts to reduce food waste driven by financial and environmental concerns, including the impact of the cost of living crisis on consumer behaviour
- Legislative measures and their impact on food waste reduction
- Frequency and responsibility of shopping
- Respondents’ estimated food wastage by amount
- Commonly wasted food items and reasons for waste
- Marketing and education opportunities for reducing food waste
- Wider beliefs regarding food waste
- Innovation in the area of food waste reduction
The cost of living crisis may continue to affect food waste attitudes, however there are opportunities for retailers to gain customer good will.
Saran Monson, Associate Analyst- Consumer Research
Market Definitions
For the purpose of this Report, Mintel are examining Irish consumers habits when it comes to food waste, including how much waste they generate, how they dispose of it and types of food most wasted.
This includes waste of drink products too.
Please note this Report does not feature a market size due to its nature.
Data pertaining to value of food wasted refers only to that generated by consumers, and does not consider industry or foodservice providers.
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Executive summary
- Opportunities for the food waste market
- Possibility to push the freezer, packaging to help consumers financially and environmentally, and targeting upcycled products at the right market
- Push the freezer to prevent food waste
- Target upcycled food products at younger consumers, particularly men
- Beat the Boots Theory with packaging that keeps food fresher for longer
- Market dynamics and outlook
- Possible financial concern rather than environmental with food waste…
- Avoiding waste to save money
- …but figures aren’t as dramatic as 2023
- Graph 1: consumers who have actively tried to reduce the amount of food/drink they waste in the past 12 months, NI and RoI, 2023
- Food prices are increasing still, but evening out
- Graph 2: Consumer Price Index of food items , 2022-24
- Legislative measures
- What consumers want and why
- What you need to know
- Consumer trends: key takeaways
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Market dynamics
- Financial and social drivers
- Food prices still seeing an increase, but plateauing
- Graph 3: Consumer Price Index of food items, 2022-24
- Wage growth in both regions indicates hope
- But caution should be applied, with many still feeling the pressure of the cost of living crisis
- Nearly three quarters of consumers experiencing high food and drink prices
- Graph 4: issues faced by respondents over the last two months, 2024
- Current financial situation
- Graph 5: financial situation, 2024
- Most believe they live a somewhat environmentally friendly lifestyle
- Graph 6: responses to how environmentally-friendly respondents would say their lifestyle is, 2022
- Over half are composting food waste all the time
- Graph 7: frequency of composting food waste, 2022
- The issue with food waste may be more financially motivated than environmentally driven…
- Graph 8: consumers who have made more effort to reduce their food waste in the last 12 months, by financial situation, 2024
- …however, the figures don’t match the dramatic levels seen in 2023 when a similar question was posed
- Graph 9: consumers who have actively tried to reduce the amount of food/drink they waste in the past 12 months, NI and RoI, 2023
- Most believe people would recycle more carefully if there was incentive
- Graph 10: agreement that people would recycle more carefully if there was an incentive, 2022
- Social stigma of being unsustainable may lead to more food waste recycling
- Graph 11: agreement that it’s becoming less socially acceptable to lead an unsustainable lifestyle, 2022
- Legislative and political drivers
- The Food Waste Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2015
- Rethinking Our Resources: Measures for Climate Action and a Circular Economy in NI (DAERA Consultation)
- Courtauld Commitment 2030
- Recycle Now and DAERA campaign
- RoI – Waste Management (Food Waste) Regulations 2009
- RoI – National Food Waste Prevention Roadmap 2023-2025
- RoI – European Union (Household Food Waste and Bio-waste) (Amendment) Regulations 2023
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What consumers want and why
- Responsibility and frequency of buying
- Women have the most responsibility for grocery shopping
- Graph 12: responsbility for buying food and drink, by gender 2024
- Exclusive food-buying responsibility rises post 16-24, with regional fluctuation
- Graph 13: Consumers who are mainly responsible for buying food and drink, by age, 2024
- Nearly half are buying 2-3 times a week across IoI
- Graph 14: how often do you typically buy food and drink for your household? 2024
- Shopping daily is more popular than shopping once every 2 weeks
- Daily shopping means wastage
- Rural locations most likely to shop once a week
- Graph 15: frequency of buying food and drink, by location, 2024
- Approximate percentage of food/drink bought that is wasted/thrown away
- Percentage of wastage
- Graph 16: approximate percentage of food and drink bought for the household that is wasted/thrown away, 2024
- Over half say they throw away less than 10%, nearly 15% throw away none
- Older age groups more likely to say they waste less than 10% or nothing at all
- Graph 17: approximate percentage of food and drink bought for the household that is wasted/thrown away, by generation, 2024.
- Levels of waste by gender – men are more likely to say they waste 10% or less
- Graph 18: approximate percentage of food and drink bought for the household that is wasted/thrown away, by gender, 2024
- …Rural respondents are most likely to say they waste less than 10%, with regional differences in those who say they throw away no waste at all
- Graph 19: approximate percentage of food and drink bought for the household that is wasted/thrown away, by location, 2024
- Reasons for throwing away/wasting food
- Reasons respondents typically find they waste/throw away food
- Graph 20: reasons why food is typically wasted/thrown away, 2024
- Expiration date being passed most significant reason…
- … but confusion is common
- NI claims to waste less leftovers, but they are still the second most popular reason for food wastage in both regions
- Forgetting or over buying also significant
- Marketing and education opportunities for the freezer
- Examples of packaging which pushes freezing
- Opportunity to update for the 2020s
- IFreeze ISave Campaign
- Taking a leaf from Tesco and Jamie Oliver…
- …Or chill with Sainsfreeze
- However, some of the reasons selected are somewhat unavoidable
- Reasons that aren’t easy to change
- Wisdom comes with age
- Graph 21: reasons for wasting/throwing out food, by age, 2024
- Younger people less confident with food storage
- Regional age discrepancies
- Types of food most regularly wasted
- Fresh produce most likely to be wasted
- Graph 22: types of food consumers most typically throw away/let go to waste, 2024
- Women more likely to waste veg
- Smaller convenience-oriented portions might help control waste
- RoI out of home workers most likely to waste bread
- Almost half waste bread
- Longer life bread
- Younger consumers more likely to waste dairy
- Graph 23: consumers who regularly waste dairy, by age groups, 2024
- Avoiding spoilage
- Attitudes towards food waste
- Level of agreement with statements is generally high
- 9 in 10 agree that the current financial crisis makes reducing food waste more important
- Over 80% have made more effort to reduce their food waste in the last 12 months
- Women more likely to have made more effort to reduce their food waste
- Vast majority are aware of the environmental impact of food waste
- Graph 24: response to the statement ‘I am aware of the environmental impact of food waste’, 2024
- Levels of concern with food and drink waste are only around half of survey
- Around three in four believe it is worth paying more for food and drink with packaging that keeps it fresh for longer
- Graph 25: agreement that it is worth paying more for food and drink with packaging that keeps it fresh for longer, by financial situation, 2024
- Boots Theory
- Opportunities in this area that benefit retailer and consumer
- Beating the Boots Theory
- Gender and age affect interest in buying products made from food waste
- Graph 26: interest in buying products made from food waste, by gender, 2024
- Graph 27: interest in buying products made from food waste, by age, 2024
- Opportunities to appeal to the consumer who wants the feel good factor with less effort…
- Graph 28: frequency of looking for new foods/flavours to try, by age, 2024
- … with interest from those wasting more
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Competitive landscape
- Launch activity and innovation
- Smart fridges
- AI and food waste
- Japanese fridge tidying experiment
- Sneakers that aren’t a waste
- Packaging to reduce waste brought forward at COP28
- Waste to ingredients
- Other upcycled launches
- Space in the market for upcycled ingredient claims to grow
- Graph 29: food, drink, vitamin & dietary supplement launches with selected ethical & environmental claims, 2019-23
- Interest is somewhat limited on IoI
- Graph 30: consumer interest in buying products made from food waste, 2024
- Food waste for dying clothes
- Oho! delivers to reduce food waste
- McGug makes food waste into energy
- FoodCloud redistributes food waste
- AI may spell an end for yellow stickers
- Swag Bag to reduce food waste
- Olio and Gander team up
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Appendix
- Report scope and definitions
- Market definition
- Abbreviations and terms
- Consumer research methodology
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