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One in four Romanians says they are concerned about reducing food waste, while the rest admit to throwing away uneaten food, shows a LifeBox survey conducted on the occasion of National Food and Food Waste Combat Day.
"According to data taken from the LifeBox guide for the optimal choice of the menu, 3 out of 4 respondents to the question: 'What do you do with the food left uneaten in your fridge?' report throwing it away, a habit that is becoming increasingly common especially in urban areas, while a quarter of them say that they are careful to consume it or to donate it," a LifeBox release states.
According to a European Commission report cited in the "Guide to food consumption and preservation" authored by the Food Waste Combat team in 2020, Romanians spend between 30 and 40 percent of their income on food, compared to an average 10 percent in the European Union. The data in the Food Waste Combat guide also shows that between 33 percent and 50 percent of the food we buy ends up being thrown away. Also, up to 50 percent of total food waste is produced by individual consumers in cities.
"Awareness of this consumption habit is very important for society and, right from the beginning of our business, we saw a great opportunity for getting involved in reducing food waste. By creating a system whereby our customers order their meals in advance, 7 days ahead on average, we can get the exact amount of supplies and, in their turn, our customers consume exactly what they need, without throwing away food. The result was a significant cut in food waste in the supply chain, especially compared to the kitchens of classic restaurants, as well as the reduction of waste for our customers and, last but not least, their education in this regard," said the LifeBox co-founders.
According to the company's estimates, over 55 tons of food were saved between January and September this year through the LifeBox concept, compared to the national average amount of food that goes wasted individually.
