Food Waste in the UKUnderstanding the Value Chain and the Cost of Inaction
In the UK, food waste is a problem hiding in plain sight. Every year, the UK wastes 10.7 million tonnes of food — that’s a quarter of all food purchased (WRAP, 2023). It’s not just a tragedy for our wallets or for the planet. It’s a problem that touches every stage of our food value chain.
At Too Good To Go, we believe that every meal matters. And every tonne of food we help save from going to waste is a step towards a healthier, more sustainable, and fairer food system. Let’s break it down.
The Scale of Food Waste in the UK
Food waste isn’t just about leftovers at home. It happens everywhere, from fields to factories, shops to supper tables.
- 10.7 million tonnes of food are wasted annually in the UK (WRAP, 2023). That’s equivalent in weight to over 90,000 double-decker buses
- The financial cost? An estimated £21.8 billion per year (WRAP, 2023).
- And the environmental cost? Food waste drives up emissions. Producing food that goes uneaten uses precious water, land, and energy — resources our planet can’t afford to waste.
Where It HappensThe Full Value Chain View
Let’s follow the journey of food across the UK value chain and see where food waste really happens.
1. Primary Production
1.6 million tonnes (15%)
Food is lost before it even leaves the farm. Imperfect produce, overproduction, or market standards mean food doesn’t make it past the field. Climate hazards and diseases are other contributors to poor harvests and food waste (WRAP, 2023).
2. Processing & Manufacturing
1.1 million tonnes (10%)
In factories and warehouses, edible food becomes surplus due to system inefficiencies, equipment failures, or packaging errors (WRAP, 2023).
3. Retail & Distribution
200,000 tonnes (2%)
Food nearing expiry or damaged in transit can miss store shelves entirely. It’s a small percentage, but still significant in volume (WRAP, 2023).
4. Restaurants & Food Services
800,000 tonnes (13%)
Portion sizes, overordering, and preparation waste all contribute. Think buffets, catering events, and untouched side dishes (WRAP, 2023).
5. Households
6.4 million tonnes (60%)
This is where the majority of UK food waste happens — at home. That’s nearly two-thirds of all waste. Confusion over date labels, overbuying, or simply forgetting what’s in the fridge means good food ends up in the bin (WRAP, 2023).
Why It Matters
- £21.8 billion is lost each year to food waste in the UK alone (WRAP, 2023). That’s enough to fund over 600,000 nurses’ salaries
- 60% of this waste is entirely avoidable
At Too Good To Go, we don’t just see waste. We see potential. With every meal we help save from going to waste, we help people access good food at great value, cut emissions, reduce unnecessary waste, and create value for businesses, consumers and communities alike.
Small Changes, Big Impact
Food waste is often called the world’s dumbest environmental problem. Why? Because it’s entirely solvable.
- 1 kg of food waste = 2.7 kg of CO2e emissions (Too Good To Go Environmental Impact Calculator)
- If food waste were a country, it would be the third-largest emitter after the US and China (FAO, 2016).
- Cutting food waste is the #1 action to limit temperature rise to 2°C by 2100 (Project Drawdown, 2020).
Reducing food waste isn’t just good for the planet. It’s good for people, too.
Fighting Food Waste Together
Too Good To Go is the world’s largest marketplace for surplus food. We connect people with good food that would otherwise go to waste. And it works.
- We’ve helped save over 450 million meals globally
- That’s avoided 1.1 million tonnes of CO2e, 324 billion litres of water, and 1.1 billion m² of land use
We do it through Surprise Bags, Too Good To Go Parcels, and tech that helps our partners better manage surplus. From local bakeries to global manufacturers, we help turn potential waste into real value.
From Awareness to Action
You can help. Whether you're a business, policymaker, or everyday citizen — food waste is everyone’s responsibility.
Here’s how you can make a difference:
- Plan meals to buy only what you need
- Store food properly to extend its life
- Trust your senses with date-labelled food — use the “Look, Smell, Taste” approach
- Use apps like Too Good To Go to find local food near you that needs rescuing
- Support policies that reduce waste and promote food redistribution
A Call to Action
The food system isn’t broken. It’s just out of balance. And food waste is the clearest sign of that imbalance.
At Too Good To Go, we’re working to restore that balance — meal by meal, bite by bite. But we can’t do it alone. Because solving food waste takes all of us. It takes businesses, communities, families, and governments.
Let’s waste less, together.