Although the majority of Hungarians shop consciously, they still waste a lot of food

By: STA Date: 2022. 09. 26. 09:30

According to their own admission, the majority of Hungarians buy consciously and pay attention to the expiry date of food, yet they produce 65 kilograms of food waste every year, which causes them to suffer an annual loss of 45,000 forints, the Hungarian Food Bank Association told MTI on Monday.


According to the announcement, the association, the National Food Chain Safety Office (Nébih) and Electrolux Hungary conducted a nationwide, representative survey of attitudes and reasons related to food waste at the end of last year and at the beginning of this year. The survey points to the contradictory attitude of Hungarians: while 8 out of 10 Hungarians feel uncomfortable when they throw away food and a similar proportion consider food waste to be a significant global problem, they still throw HUF 45,000 worth of food in the trash every year. According to their own admission, the majority buys consciously, many know the contents of their refrigerators, pay attention to the expiration date of food, yet households waste a significant amount of food.

Only 45 percent of the respondents knew that the refrigerator should ideally be set to 0-4 degrees Celsius

All of this is important because, for example, at a temperature of 6.5 degrees Celsius, many foods and meals in the refrigerator deteriorate prematurely. The research also revealed that people throw away leftover food, baked goods, vegetables and fruits most often. The main reason for waste is that sometimes they buy too much food and prepare too much food. Fresh vegetables and fruits deteriorate too quickly in households as a result of improper storage and inadequate cooling habits, and the population spends little time planning shopping and preparing meals.

The research also pointed out that more extensive information is needed, 82 percent of the respondents would like more information on the packaging about the environmental impact of the products. According to the respondents, the best way to reduce the amount of wasted food is if children already hear about food waste prevention at school and if adults also receive more information on the subject.

MTI

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